


Not So Pure

by shnazy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, HP: EWE, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-19 22:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 116,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1487017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shnazy/pseuds/shnazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco had simply wanted to get that ridiculous assignment for Professor Binns over and done with but of course Granger had found a way to muddle even that up.  Sitting in his Grandmother’s frame was Granger, older than he’d last seen her but smiling and happy and apparently his Grandmother.<br/>No, that was just wrong.  Draco was a Pureblood.  His father was a Pureblood.  There was no way he was in any way related to Mudblood Granger; but the story she was offering him about how she traveled back in time and met a young Voldemort and his Grandfather was almost too good to pass up...and he did still need to work on that assignment for Binns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Family Portraits

**Author's Note:**

> “…Why, there isn’t a wizard alive today that’s not half blood or less." – Hagrid  
> "Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out." - Ron Weasley  
> "So-called pure-blood families mantain their alleged purity by disowning, banishing, or lying about Muggles or Muggle-borns on their family trees. Then they attempt to foist their hypocrisy upon the rest of us by asking us to ban works dealing with the truths they deny. There is not a witch or wizard in existence whose blood has not mingled with that of Muggles..." – Albus Dumbledore
> 
> The idea is that everything should be completely canon other than the Epilogue as that obviously can't be canon and none of the evil characters will suddenly become good, it will just explain how they became that way. If you notice that something isn't let me know as I don't want anything to be incorrect to the universe.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't in any way own any rights to anything resembling J.K. Rowling's works. I'm just expanding on the already known universe for my own amusement and curiosity.

Draco sighed, his dragon hide boots clicking along the marble hallway of the Manor. It was Winter Holiday and despite the blistering winds outside, the cold stone of the building gave off a warmth that only his childhood home could. It was already a week into holiday and in no time at all Draco knew that he would be heading back to Hogwarts for his second attempt at 7th year.

He was currently working to complete his homework and get it out of the way. He'd been planning to spend much of the break with Blaise and Theo but homework took precedence. He'd finished almost everything yesterday and now all that seemed to remain was his project for Professor Binns that he knew was going to take longer than he cared for.

**Write on the history of a member of your family that holds some importance to you. If that family member is a Wizard and you are able, interview their portrait. Write something about them that no one else knows. Learn about how things were when they went to school. It is to be a minimum of 3 yards in length.**

He eyed the parchment with a groan and stuffed it back into his pocket as he headed down the hallway to the family tree. Most Pureblooded families had family trees of some sort. The Blacks had a tapestry that would weave a new face in an old aristocratic style, he was told. His mother had informed him that he was on it but he'd never seen it. The tapestry was in the house of the last male heir of the Black family, Sirius Black, and he was dead.

His family tree on the other hand, was just that, a tree. In one of the long corridors was a hallway that seemed to go skyward for miles. Draco had once tried to hit the ceiling on his broomstick to see how high it indeed went but was still unable to find the top before getting disoriented and reprimanded by relatives from hundreds of years ago. The magic of their family tree was in portraits. Each member of the family had a portrait commissioned of them when they turned of age or married in and was placed in their rightful place on the tree. The portraits were charmed to inhabit the essence of the person once they had passed and would then become like the portraits at Hogwarts, moving. Until then, the images were still. When a member of the family finally did pass on, they appeared the age at which they were most comfortable; which Draco found curious. What age would he appear when he finally died?

The most interesting thing was that if you wished to speak with someone high up on the tree (long since passed) you need to simply speak their name and the branches holding the portrait would move until the person you wished to speak with was at eye level.

Draco stared at the wall curiously; he had to be careful who he chose after all. He didn't want to choose someone with strong views against a particular group of people. He was attempting to regain honor to his family name and perhaps end some of the animosity with Potter and Weasley; though he wasn't wishing for anything overly friendly. Potter seemed to be all for letting bygones be bygones, the Weasel King on the other hand…

It hadn't been long ago that the second war had ended and the Light had come out victorious, and once the chaos had settled to a reasonable level the repair to Hogwarts had begun. Draco had been immensely surprised when he discovered that there had been a large lump sum of money set aside in the Malfoy vault for any restorations that Hogwarts would need, allocated by his Grandparents Abraxas and Myone Malfoy.

Once Draco's father had seen the funds disperse from his Gringotts account without his consent to repair the damage to the once illustrious school, his Mother and Father determined that they would be there to help with the restoration. Well, not really help per say, more to oversee; manual labor was what Mud…Muggleborns and poor wizards were for. It only proved more true to see the entire Weasley clan, Granger, and their precious Potter sweating and toiling about to get the school back in working order before the new school year.

Draco had even noticed himself getting over his more severe blood prejudices a bit as the restoration went on. It was never going to be completely gone, he wasn't as idealistic as the Gryffindors were to hope for something as ridiculous as that, though he did attempt to seek out Muggles every once in a while to talk to, if only to stop his autonomic response to cringe upon seeing them and hex them for being stupid and filthy creatures not worth his time.

He'd even noticed that his father had gotten a bit better; the man had even rushed to help Granger lift a retaining wall into place when she'd overestimated her strength. Draco'd heard his father almost call her a Mudblood, but he'd restrained himself at the last minute with a "Mu…Hermie." He'd still called her by the wrong name but the fact that he hadn't hexed her or watched her be crushed had to be something.

Granger hadn't said anything, probably not wanting to exacerbate the problem. He commended her on that since it wasn't often that Granger held her tongue on anything.

So once Hogwarts had been repaired over the summer they allowed all those who hadn't finished their last year to do such. It had ended up with everyone staying in the year they were in before Snape had become Headmaster as many of the professors that Voldemort had posted on staff were not worth their salt. So Draco and Blaise were still 7th years and the Loopy Lovegood girl was still a 6th year. The only thing that changed was the new incoming 1st years were combined with the incoming 1st years of last year to create a class double in size.

Finally reaching the Family Hall, Draco paused and looked at the portrait of himself, it had been commissioned not long after he had received his Dark Mark, and he couldn't help but cringe at the memory. He glanced up a bit and looked to see the portraits of his parents, both unmoving as well; something he found to be oddly comforting. When the war raged on he remembered coming to look at the portraits and thinking that all three would be animated behind their frames before anything could be resolved.

He glanced one level higher, he couldn't see those quite as well as his parents but he could still make them out quite easily without having the wall move. Above his mother's portrait were the names of her parents carved into the bark of one of the branches, they were Blacks and therefore not permanent members of this tree.

After eyeing their names, Draco moved to the portraits of his Father's parents who were moving, though not jarringly so. He already knew their names; Abraxas and Myone (Me-own-ee) Malfoy. He'd heard stories about how kind and compassionate they were…well, Myone more than Abraxas. Then again he'd also heard stories that they were best friends with the Dark Lord when they were in school so there was no telling for sure.

Maybe he could do his project on _them_ for Binn's class. That would certainly be something. They could tell him about their lives and hopefully help get the Malfoy name out of the gutter a bit. It was their forethought that helped rebuild Hogwarts after all.

"Abraxas and Myone Malfoy," he stated loudly to get the trees' attention. At the call of the names the tree got to action moving the branches that held the two down to Draco's eye level so that he could examine them closer.

As the portraits moved into view, Draco faltered. _How does one start a conversation with dead grandparents…especially dead grandparents that he never bothered to introduce himself to before now?_

"Um, my name is Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced, puffing out his chest proudly, "And I am your grandson."

"Of course we know who you are dear. Just because you never came to meet us specifically doesn't mean we aren't watching over you," his Grandmother said with a smile.

"At least it's you who's coming to see us now instead of Tom, put your Grandmother in a right state he did," his Grandfather added with a huff.

"Oh, Brax," she sputtered, "I am completely fine. Tom didn't scare me; more annoyed me, walking about the house as though it were his own." She glared off at nothing for a moment before muttering out, "Git."

Draco paused, eying the woman in the portrait curiously. It was the way she was talking, it was as though he recognized her voice and now that he was examining the portrait closer she looked familiar too. Where had he seen her before; he'd never actually met her before so it couldn't have been on purpose. Could she have been amongst the portraits at Hogwarts that he had accidentally come across?

He eyed her again, suddenly realizing why she looked so familiar; despite the grey streaking her hair, the crow's feet around her eyes, and the laugh lines near her mouth…she looked like Mudblood Granger…Muggleborn Granger.

Why was a Granger lookalike in his Grandmother's portrait?

"Who are you?" Draco suddenly hissed out angrily, the room seeming to go down in temperature at his anger.

"I'm sorry," she questioned out, her head cocking to the side a bit in confusion. Draco huffed angrily, it was definitely Granger…she must be on a bad Poly-juice or something. Why the hell did she think it was a good idea to force herself into his Grandmother's portrait? He wasn't even sure how that was possible, but she did read more books than him, she may have found a way.

Granger seemed to sense his anger and sighed audibly, "I guess I should explain shouldn't I?"

Draco said nothing, simply glared at her expectantly.

"Show some respect to your Grandmother boy." Draco was startled by the venom in his Grandfather's voice and moved his eyes to stare more closely at the man who fathered his father. Abraxas Malfoy was well respected in the wizarding community and Draco knew better than to anger him, even if he had been dead for decades. Though apparently he was now losing his marbles as well, did he not realize that his wife had been replaced by an imposter?

His eyes moved back to the woman who was looking more and more like an older Granger by the second.

"You are Granger aren't you…not my Grandmother," Draco responded, his arms crossing defensively, "I don't know how you got in my Grandmother's portrait but I suggest you remove yourself."

"Draco," Granger responded, tentatively, "Do you remember when you caught me with my time turner…this…this is your seventh year, correct?"

"Yeah, its seventh year, and I remember catching you in the head common room. It was a month ago I think."

"Yes, that does sound about right," Granger agreed, "I was getting ready to head to Ancient Runes...I'd thought that you'd already gone to Herbology like always."

"Yeah, I'd been running late because Pansy had dragged me outside in the rain saying something about weird magic...it ended up being her telling me of her feelings and I was soaked for nothing; bloody chit. I'd gone back to take a shower."

"That girl was so infatuated with you throughout school," Granger responded with a faraway wistful smile, "It was cute."

"It was horrid and vile, she looks like a pug."

"No one said that you had to marry her and make her part of the family, just that you should be aware of her feelings."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Draco huffed, waving his hand at her non-commitally.

"Anyway," Granger continued, "I was given back my time turner by Headmistress McGonagall for seventh year and everything had been going well until..."

She trailed off as Draco interrupted her, "Back? Back would mean that you'd had it before...you've had a Time Turner before?"

"Yes, I had one in third year...how else do you think Sirius Black and Buckbeak escaped."

"Buckbeak, what the hell is a Buckbeak?"

"That Hippogriff that you taunted mercilessly."

"Taunted! You mean that beast that attacked me!?"

"He was not a beast!" she screeched angrily. Now Draco understood what the Weasel had meant when he'd called her a harpy one day in Divination. She'd long since given up the subject by that time so the Weasel'd been able to say it aloud without worrying about her overhearing. "Anyway, I had…will have an accident. I end up in school fifty years ago."

"How did you get back?" Draco asked without thinking.

"I didn't. That's why I'm in this portrait."

"You're…you're dead," Draco croaked out with eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes sweetheart," she responded a bit downhearted.

"Don't call me that," Draco sneered.

"I am your Grandmother, Draco. I will call you sweetheart, or love, or my widdle ferret if I want to."

"Ha, you lying, you can't be my Grandmother," Draco suddenly realized, letting thoughts come together in his head, "You're a mudblood and I'm a pureblood."

"You're not a pureblood, Draco."

"Of course I am. Mother is a pureblood and Father is a pure…"

"Your father is a Halfblood."

"This is bullshit," Draco snarled.

"Don't speak to her that way," Abraxas growled out, causing Granger to turn to him and glare in a way that reminded him of his father...had Granger changed the way that she glared or had he just only noticed now that he knew that she was apparently his grandmother.

Granger was his Grandmother...that thought was disturbing, what would Potter and the Weasel do if he did his presentation on his Grandmother Hermione Granger...Myone...what was his paternal grandmother's maiden name?

"How did you get the name Myone...I mean I know those idiots call you Mione but Myone isn't exactly the same."

"Did you want to hear the story of how I became your grandmother?" she asked, suddenly excited.

He winced; did he want to hear that story?

"How Lucy became a Death Eater...I still feel sorry about that," she stated, the last part seemingly to herself.

Lucy, did Hermione Granger just call his father Lucy?

"I'd like to hear the story actually," Draco felt himself say in disbelief. Did he really just agree to this? "I can use it for my homework for Binns."

A grin was reaching her eyes and he was realizing that this decision may have been a mistake.

"Oh wonderful," Granger smiled, "This is just wonderful. Well it all started...no I can't have you standing here in the family hall. We'll meet in the drawing room in ten minutes; there are a few blank portraits just for this purpose."

She didn't wait for him to agree, simply nodded once and then disappeared from view.

"She's been quite lonely with Tom and Bellatrix living here," Abraxas told Draco suddenly, causing the boy to look from the now empty frame to his Grandfather, "Tom had even gone so far as to perform a charm locking her into a frame so she was forced to watch herself be tortured on the floor, it was cruel-Tom was just being cruel. I think she just wants to talk to you; she hasn't been able to talk to someone in quite a while..."

"What about father?"

"He's too ashamed of himself to visit...it really is too bad, Myone is quite a forgiving person; she doesn't blame him. But he's still refusing to speak to her; perhaps after you know everything you can talk to him and convince him to come see her. He's still her son, despite everything."

Draco nodded and stood there, he was not expecting today to go this way.

"Well get going, she's probably already down there wiggling in her chair in anticipation." Draco nodded once, and turned quickly heading down to the drawing room.

* * *

 

His grandfather was right as it turned out, she was already there, fidgeting and wiggling, a brightness on her face that he'd only seen a handful of times and never because she was going to be talking to him.

"Oh," she smiled delightedly, clasping her hands in front of her from the 7 foot portrait, making her life-size in the drawing room. The portrait also contained a small loveseat with a decorative rug on the floor, both decorated in Slytherin Colors. He couldn't help but wonder what Granger thought of sitting in a Slytherin room, it then dawned on him that this wasn't Hermione Granger.

Hermione Granger was an 18 year old girl who'd threaten to hex him when he attempted to get into their shared bathroom to piss while she was in the shower.

Hermione Granger was an 18 year old girl who ran around with Potthead and Weaslebee and rose her hand to answer every question.

This woman was Myone Malfoy who was actually excited to see him. She was the one who forgave Lucius Malfoy, something Hermione Granger would never do.

This was Myone Malfoy who went to school with the Dark Lord and who apparently knew her well enough to personally despise her.

This woman was his Grandmother. He could see the delight on her face as she spotted him and he couldn't help but smile back in return. He nodded once and acknowledged her, "Grandmother."

Her smile got impossibly larger at the term which seemed to be contagious, he coughed and hid it quickly, but he was almost positive that she'd spotted it.

"Take a seat dear," she smiled, motioning with her hand to the matching loveseat in front of the portrait. He wondered if it was planned that way before quickly realizing that he'd never really put much thought into the fact that there was a painting in the drawing room that was just of a couch; that thought slightly disturbing him. How many other things did he pass on a constant basis and simply ignore.

He sat down on the couch and ignored that train of thought. It was easier that way. "Hurry up Brax your taking too long. If you don't get your arse in here I'm starting without you; you were the one that wanted to join us, not the other way around."

Draco smirked as she yelled at her husband; one of the most well respected Malfoys for centuries, in her traditional Granger-like way, apparently there was still a little bit of Granger in there.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Draco heard the man huff, before he joined his wife on the couch and lounged back, one arm draping along the back of the couch and behind his wife while the other arm rested on the arm of the couch. Grang...Grandmother sat beside him; back straight with her hands neatly folded on her lap and her ankles crossed.

Draco could tell they were happy, despite their situation...being dead. They seemed to find comfort in one another and he knew they were in love. He remembered when his parents were like that, before he'd told his father about the strange boy in Madam Malkins that fateful day in Diagon Alley. Maybe Abraxas was right, maybe he could get his father and grandmother back into each other's good graces; maybe he could get his father to be happy again.

"So," she began with a smile, "Where was I...ah yes it all started one day in January..."

 


	2. That Shelf in the Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione had just wanted to go to lunch but Ron and his chivalrous nature had mucked that all up and had left her retreating to the library and somehow meeting more Malfoys than she had ever wanted to meet.

"So," she began with a smile, "Where was I...ah yes it all started one day in January-"

"January?" Draco interrupted suddenly, "So not long after we come back from Holiday?"

"Yes.  Now don't interrupt sweetheart," she replied, "It was a day in January...and before you interrupt I'm not telling you which day - it was just before lunch and we had stopped by the Gryffindor Common Room to meet up with Ginny who'd had Care for Magical Creatures. Harry wanted to make sure they walked together and Ron and I had come along.

_"Hermione," Ron shouted from the bottom of the staircase, "Let's go, I'm hungry."_

"When isn't he," Draco scoffed. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and continued,

_"Just go without me," I shouted back, annoyed. Ginny was trying to ask me about Harry. He was pushing her away again and she was panicking. The last time he'd done that was when he broke up with her. She understood now, why he had at the time; he was trying to think of her safety during the war with Voldemort..._

Draco cringed at the word Voldemort but Hermione took no notice.

_...but now that the war was over there was no need. I was trying to explain to her about how he felt. He wasn't used to having others to rely on. He'd been neglected as a child and had been forced to search himself for comfort. I explained to her about how he'd been raised in a loveless house and how as a toddler he'd received no attention or affection. She was crying and nodding and feeling terrible for being so angry with him and here was Ron downstairs shouting at me to hurry up because he was hungry, the git._

_"Hermione," he huffed, his arms hitting at his sides impatiently, "Let's go! You can do your homework later...or...or even during lunch but just come ON." I couldn't help but roll my eyes as his voice carried up the staircase until I heard Ginny sniffle and focused back on her as she rubbed her sleeve over her tear-filled eyes,_

_"It's all right Hermione," Ginny sighed, rolling her eyes at her brother's antics, "I know how he is and I'm sure Harry's hungry too." She seemed to choke at Harry's name before taking a deep breath and getting herself together. Ginny nodded her head to indicate that she was alright and turned to eye me, "Do ya' mind?"_

_I nodded, casting a quick cleaning charm over her makeup and tear stained shirt sleeve before moving to her face and patching up the makeup she had left, nodding to her in approval as I finished._

_"Thanks," she smiled, attempting to have it not appear forced, "You’re the greatest Mione." I'd just smiled and followed her down from the Girls' Dorms where I spotted Ron tapping his foot in an annoying manner with his arms crossed and a pitiful look on his face,_

_"What took you so ruddy long," he huffed, his eyebrows crinkling in annoyance, "I told you back in Charms I was hungry."_

_"Your need for food does not top everything else in the world Ronald," I replied, rolling my eyes, "Maybe I was doing something important."_

_"Homework due next month is not that important," he scoffed._

_"Well, we're ready now, aren't we," I remarked sarcastically, "Now who's wasting time?" I pushed past him and walked quickly for the portrait hole, turning in the right direction to make my way toward the Great Hall. Ron jogged to catch up with me and I could hear Ginny and Harry talking quietly just a bit behind us._

_"What's with you today?" Ron asked, his voice uncharacteristically low, his eyes darting around nervously as though inquiring about a secret, "Is it...that time?"_

_"WHAT?" I spouted out appalled, "No. Why, is it yours?"_

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron glared._

_"You didn't have to wait for me, but you did and now your blaming me for making you take too long, it isn't my fault you waited."_

_"Well of course I had to wait," Ron stated with a shoulder shrug, "Harry waits for Ginny."_

_"Harry and Ginny are dating Ron. We aren't, there's a difference."_

"Wait," Draco blurted out, causing Hermione to pause, "I thought you were dating the Weasel?"

"We tried it," she admitted with a shrug, "We snogged during the final battle and tried to date over the summer but between the time I'd gone looking for my obliviated parents in June, they were unrecoverable by the way, and then working to put Hogwarts back together, we didn't have much time to...argue. Let's just say that it failed pretty quickly once we were in school together and were expected to be at each other's side _all_ the time. I just couldn't take it...we ended it in early October. But as I was saying-"

_"Harry and Ginny are dating Ron. We aren't, there's a difference."_

_"We could be," Ron huffed dejectedly, as though us not being together was entirely my fault._

_"And we probably would be if you weren't such an arse," I huffed back in response._

_"And what's that supposed to mean," he ground out; our light-hearted banter now taking a more dangerous turn._

_"Exactly what it sounded like," I snarled._

_"You know Hermione; you don't have to be such a bitch all the time."_

_"You know what Ron, why don't you just go snog Lavender Brown; we both know that you want to."_

_"You know what, maybe I will; at least she doesn't enjoy making me feel stupid ALL THE TIME."_

_"Don't blame me for your state of being," I countered furiously, adjusting my bag on my shoulder._

_"What's wrong," Harry called out from behind us, his footsteps quickening as he sensed danger._

_"Nothing," I assured him, "But I'm not hungry. I'm headed to the library to do HOMEWORK. You can go on without me."_

_I turned and stormed in the opposite direction and heard Harry shout at Ron as I turned the corner,_

_"WHAT DID YOU DO?"_

_Somewhere along the way I had discovered that I was not, in fact, on the way to the library, but following the familiar path to the Astronomy Tower; now, of course, named 'Dumbledore Tower' .  I had been just about to the entrance when I ran head first into...you and your friends. I was trying to hide the fact that I’d been crying._

“What? Don’t look at me like that,” she huffed, eying the narrowed brows of her Grandson.

_I ran into you and your friends, namely Zabini and I’d hit the ground harder than I’d anticipated. You all just stood there staring at me when you suddenly asked,_

_“Do you need a hand?” and I faltered. Did Draco Malfoy ask me if I needed a hand?_

_“No,” I huffed out, knocking your hand away and righting myself before adjusting my robes and fixing my bag._

_Then you asked me something else that just caused me more confusion, “Is everything all right?”_

_“I’m fine,” I huffed again before adding, “If you would excuse me.” I walked around you, giving you and your friends a wide berth because you lot were acting strangely; well mostly you, but even so. Deciding that maybe Dumbledore Tower wasn’t the best place to head, I decided that what I’d told Ron about going to the library was probably a better plan. I nodded my head once to myself and headed straight there, pulling the large heavy doors open with a sigh._

_I really did love the library; the familiar smells, the quiet, the lighting…the lack of Ron. I settled into my usual table and smiled faintly to myself before realizing that I needed some books to distract myself. I was already chapters ahead in all my subjects so I needed some extra-curricular reading to truly get immersed in._

_I grabbed my bag and headed over to the many shelves of books, eying the titles and scrutinizing them each in turn. Finally spotting a title of interest, I reached for it on my tip toes and could just barely reach it._

“Looking back it would’ve been all too easy to use my wand and levitate it to myself, but even I am allowed a temporary lapse in judgment.”

_“Come on,” I mumbled to myself annoyed, fighting with the spine that just my index and middle finger could grip. Just as I’d gotten ahold of it, I leaned into the shelf causing the bookcase to move, a lean ever so slight that made me jump back nervously. The bookcase continued to sway back and forth, and I reached out to steady it just as the books slid off the shelves and headed toward me. I could hear the bookcase steady itself overhead from under the cascade of tomes now covering my entire body._

_I heard footsteps moving quickly before stopping somewhere close by. I felt the books being lifted off of me and a voice ask from somewhere overhead, “Do you need a hand?”_

_I couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped and nodded, though the nod did nothing but shift the books about and hurt all over again._

_The voice laughed a bit at my groan though he was obviously trying to stifle it as he began to both, move the books with a levitation charm, as well as move the books by hand._

_He pulled the last of the books from off me and though I couldn’t make out his appearance, he found my hand and pulled me to my feet. I immediately began dusting myself off before taking a glance in his general direction. My eyesight was still slightly blurred from the mild concussion I was sure I’d received and I found the sight of blurry blonde hair aggravating._

_“Malfoy? What are you doing here?” I responded in disbelief. Did Draco follow me all the way to library; I thought he was going to the Great Hall for lunch. What if it was him who knocked over the bookcase, it seemed unlikely but maybe he was trying to kill me. I wouldn’t think that he’d try to kill anyone after the debacle of sixth year but what did I know? “Did you knock these books on me?” I asked annoyed._

_“What?” he asked back in confusion and I faltered. He didn’t sound like Malfoy. Maybe I was wrong. He seemed to be quite built so he was probably at_ _least a_ _fifth year, but I felt like I’d know if there was someone with white blonde hair near my age. My vision began to clear and I could make out the green in his tie which only solidified that it was most likely Malfoy._

_I felt myself sway and Malfoy quickly reached out to steady me but I retched myself from his grasp. He put his arms up in surrender and took a step back._

_“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked tentatively, wary to take any movement toward me._

_“I’m fine,” I responded, before my vision blurred completely and my body buckled beneath me; my mind going blank as I registered that he’d caught me before I’d hit the ground.  The last thing that I remembered was that he smelled like fresh grass_ (he probably fell during quidditch practice) _,_ _new parchment, and spearmint._


	3. The Slytherins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Abraxas finds her unconscious in the library he does the only thing he can think of, takes her to the Hospital Wing. But when he comes across his friend Tom on the way and they both hear her mutter something odd, she unexpectedly becomes a secret that Riddle is determined to uncover.

“So you passed out then?” Draco asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. Hermione couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted in the way that he said that, as though she were weak and couldn’t be bothered to stay awake.

“Well I’d just traveled 55 years into the past and then was hit by an avalanche of books, so yes, I passed out.”

Draco shrugged, “I wasn’t insulting you; I was just inquiring.”

“Myone don’t fight your own grandson,” Abraxas admonished, causing his wife to smile sheepishly in his direction, “Well I guess it’s my turn then since you wouldn’t have been awake.” Hermione nodded and Abraxas gave her the classic Malfoy smirk in response before turning back to Draco-

_I’d just gotten finished with Quidditch practice along with the rest of the Slytherin team.  It was just starting to get cold with the newly arrived November weather and I hadn’t been in the mood to head back down to the cold of the dungeons for the evening. I knew I had quite a bit of homework to finish before class the next day, and so I’d decided to head over to the library to get started. I’d stopped by the 7 th year boys’ dorms first to change out of my Quidditch gear and to let Tom know that I was heading over to the library to study. He’d, in turn, informed me that he would be by to join me in a little while._

“You mean Tom Riddle?” Draco asked astounded, his mouth falling open ever so slightly.

“Are you going to continue to interrupt me?” Abraxas questioned with a raised brow, earning an eep and a quick shake of the head in response from the 18 year old boy in front of them, “Good. As I was saying…”

_I’d just gotten to the library, greeted Madam Oxkin and headed back to our usual table when I heard an odd noise and took it upon myself to investigate; I was made a Prefect for a reason. I’d approached the source of the noise and found a pile of books on the floor in front of a bookcase that was swaying ever so slightly._

_I watched as the bookcase finally settled and I took a few more steps closer to the pile, my eyes widening as I heard a groan from beneath the mound. I eyed the pile a bit closer and spotted a tuft of brown curly hair sprouted from between some of the texts and moved a couple that I suspected would uncover the victim. I finally spotted a hand and noticed the slim fingers of a lady, hearing another groan from beneath the books._

_I set the few books I was now holding into a neat stack beside the mound and asked, “Do you need a hand?”_

_I heard the girl whimper and watched as the books shifted as though she’d attempted to move; then she groaned again. I couldn’t help the laugh that passed through my lips as I tried to stifle it a moment too late. Realizing that she was probably conscious and would berate me as soon as she was up if I didn’t get a move on, I quickly worked to get the books off, both using the little wandless magic I knew as well as my hands to get the books off her._

_Once the last book was off, I grabbed her hand and pulled her up to her feet. As she let go of my hand and began dusting herself off I got a chance to really get a good look at her. The first thing I noticed was her Gryffindor robes, which, though not the best sight to a Slytherin, didn’t annoy me too much, what really confused me however was the fact that I didn’t recognize her. Almost all of the girls in 5th through 7th year had made it a priority to introduce themselves to me at one time or another.  She however, I hadn't even seen in passing; and though we’d had a few transfers from Durmstrang due to Grindelwald, and it was true that they weren’t sorted in the Great Hall, they normally didn’t go straight to the Library on their first day._

_Suddenly her face scrunched up in tightly coiled fury and I knew I was about to be berated for laughing at her when she was covered in tomes._

_“Malfoy? What are you doing here?” she responded in disbelief. How did she know my name? Had she really been here for more than a day and I hadn’t noticed? And if she had, had she already made the decision that she didn’t like me. If she had, then she had probably talked to Leach, and if that was true I was going to kill him. Turning the new girls against me before I’d even met them, that was low even for him; bloody prat. “Did you knock these books on me?” she suddenly asked annoyed._

_“What?” I asked back in bewilderment and confusion. She really must’ve heard some bad things about me if she thought I went around pushing bookcases on new girls._

_I watched the girl sway and quickly reached out to steady her but she retched herself from my grasp as though I was disease ridden. I put my arms up in surrender and took a step back._

_“Are you sure you’re alright?” I asked tentatively, wary to take any movement toward her._

_“I’m fine,” she responded quickly, before her eyes drooped and I watched her body buckle beneath her. My seeker reflexes enacted and I launched myself forward, catching her quickly before she hit the ground. She was slumped over, her face in my chest as I held her up by her underarms._

_“Um…” I stuttered out nervously, “Miss…um miss…” What was I supposed to do? I glanced around, though I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see. I noticed a Hufflepuff 5 th year glance at us suspiciously as they passed and glared at them. They looked down and scuffled away quickly. I needed to get her to the hospital wing, the faster the better. _

_She shifted slightly and I noticed that she smelled like fresh high end ink from Scribbulus Writing Implements, roses, and cinnamon. I paled nervously, that had been what I’d smelled in the Amortentia potion that Slughorn had had us examine in preparation for our NEWTs last year. Pushing that thought quickly from my brain to never rethink, I adjusted her bridal style hoping that it would make her easier to carry. As I went to turn, I noticed a shine and spotted a small beaded bag that lay in a heap on the ground beside where her body had been. I levitated it up onto her chest as I curled her into me and made my way to the doors of the library where Madam Oxkin eyed me curiously._

_Marie Oxkin was a kind, stocky woman of about 65 that normally kept a bowl of Bott’s on her desk that first years couldn’t keep their fingers out of. She had been known to allow upperclassmen into the library after hours as long as they weren’t going to being using it for perverse reasons. She normally required a seventh year prefect to supervise; I had been one such supervisor and so Madam Oxkin trusted me, but even she looked at me a bit skeptically as I moved toward the doors of the library carrying an unconscious girl in my arms._

_“She’s injured, Madam Oxkin, I’m taking her to the infirmary.” She nodded her head in agreement and smiled._

* * *

 

_I had made it almost to the end of the hall when I collided with someone; well the girl’s body did, as she was in front of me at the moment._

_“Watch where you’re…oh Brax, what in Salazar’s name are you doing?”_

_“Oh Tom, good thing I’ve caught you, were you headed to the library?”_

_“I was, yes, as that was where you had informed me that we would be meeting. Is there a reason for…” he indicated the girl with his arms, “…this?”_

_“Ahh you mean the girl...”_

_Tom simply raised a brow skeptically._

_“Well it appears she has a concussion from a pile of books that had fallen onto her.”_

_“Gryffindors,” Tom remarked with a scoff. Clearly he’d noticed her house colors, “Always acting before thinking things through. That is why they have such a short shelf life.”_

_I couldn’t help but rolled my eyes at my best friend when the girl suddenly stirred in my arms muttering out, “No Harry, you can’t go after Voldemort alone. Harry stop!” She then settled again and curled into me. I eyed her curiously before looking up and noticing the shock on Tom’s face who, in a behavior I rarely saw, sputtered out,_

_“Let’s get her to Madam Treyhart right away. I’m coming with you.”_

_“What? Why would you want to come?”_

_“I am head boy,” he replied flatly as though that were all the justification necessary._

_“Alright,” I replied with a nod, leading the way to the hospital wing as Tom walked quickly beside me, glancing suspiciously at the girl every few seconds._

* * *

_When we arrived in the infirmary, I headed straight to the nearest bed and set the girl onto it, laying her onto her back and setting the bag onto the nightstand beside her while Tom went to fetch Madam Treyhart. I grabbed the chair from up against the wall beside the bed and pulled it closer to the girl before sitting myself down. Only seconds later I heard footsteps and turned to see Treyhart and Tom moving quickly across the room from her office to the bed._

_The Medi-witch mumbled under her breath for a second about something or another before using her wand to run a diagnostic spell over the girl. After she’d run all of her tests she turned to us boys and smiled,_

_“It’s nice that you’re so concerned for her, boys. It looks like she’ll be fine.  She does have a slight concussion but I’ll give her some Wideye and keep her for a bit of observation, I’ll just renovate her and administer the potion; you can stay if you like.”_

_Tom and I both nodded but I stood from the chair and a took a place beside Tom before the two of us took a couple of steps back and away from the bed as Treyhart renovated her. The girl seemed startled as she sat up and Treyhart helped settle her so her back rested against the headboard._

_“Thank you Madam Pomfrey,” she smiled. Treyhart just smiled back and handed her the potion,_

_“You may have a concussion dear. I’m going to give you Wideye Potion and keep you for a bit of observation.”_

_“Alright,” she smiled. I couldn’t help but notice how nice her voice sounded, “Can you just let Harry and Ron know I’m alright and tell Draco I’m sorry if you see him, I didn’t mean to accuse him of tipping the bookcase.”_

_“Alright dear, you just get some rest and if you’re up for it, you do have some visitors.”_

_“Oh Harry and Ron are already here?” she questioned curiously._

_“Um no dear, the boys who found you.”_

_“Alright,” she nodded. I frowned; who were Harry and Ron? I didn’t know anyone here by those names. They must be friends from her old school. And Draco, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where that name had come from either. She must be confused; maybe Madam Pomfrey was the Medi-witch at her old school._

_Tom and I moved closer and noticed that the girl was actually looking at her beaded bag curiously before she heard the floor creak and looked up at us, her eyes widening in fear as she suddenly attempted to push herself farther into the headboard._

_“Hi,” I stated tentatively, and she jolted in what I could only interpret as fear, “My name is Abraxas…” I paused as it appeared that the wheels were turning in her mind and she finally settled on something as she whispered to herself,_

_“Malfoy.”_

_“And I am Tom…Tom Riddle,” Tom stated, placing his hand onto his chest as he introduced himself. And I could’ve sworn I saw her flinch as his arm moved._

_There was an awkward silence for a minute and finally Tom continued slightly annoyed, “This would be the time when you would introduce yourself.”_

_“Where am I?” she stuttered out._

_“The Hogwarts infirmary,” I responded, earning a glare from Tom as he clearly wanted her to answer his question before asking one of her own._

_“Oh…alright,” she stated slightly nervously. I wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. “Um…you wanted my name,” she responded and I nodded._

_“Um…my….my name….um…mee…um…me…own..ee…me…her….me own…me own…ee um…mc…Macmillan.”_

_“Meownee Macmillan,” Tom repeated. I was quite surprised that he was able to decipher that; I certainly wouldn’t have been able to. I nodded my head in his direction, impressed, though he hadn’t moved his eyes off her._

_I looked back at the girl and she shook her head no before nodding the affirmative and responding, “Yes, Myone um Mc…Macmillan…_ that’s _my_ _name.”_

_I couldn’t help but take her statement as a bit of a question but decided not to bother her more. She did have a concussion after all, she could be confused, and she apparently didn’t remember that she’d transferred schools so it was understandable that she was uncomfortable. I smiled at her and she looked at me shocked._

_“We’ll come to check on you later Myone,” I told her. She nodded warily and I turned to Tom. He grumbled a bit to himself about questions and Vol…something or rather but followed me as we left the infirmary nearly running into Headmaster Dippet and Head of Gryffindor House Professor Dumbledore. We nodded to the two who greeted us with a “Hello Mr. Riddle; Mr. Malfoy” and from there we headed down to the dungeons, homework forgotten._

_“I need to know who that girl is,” Tom grumbled as we went down the stairs toward our common room._

_“She told us who she was, Myone Macmillan,” I shrugged, Tom had a habit of obsessing over things but this was a bit unnecessary. He’d gone on and on about the Chamber of Secrets until that obnoxious girl that had followed him around since_ _third_ _year was killed and they threatened to close the school. Then it had been on finding his birth family but dropped it once he had come back from summer Holiday. I had thought that his new obsession would be Horcruxes as Tom had recently shared his desire to know about them at the start of the year but perhaps he would move to the Myone girl. And I didn’t know why, but the thought that Tom would obsess over her bothered me quite a bit, though I couldn’t understand it._

_“Are you even listening?” Tom suddenly huffed out annoyed, pulling me from my thoughts._

_“What?” I asked curiously, earning an annoyed growl from him._

_“I said, ‘we’re going back to the infirmary after supper to talk to her’.”_

_“Oh,” I nodded, “Alright.”_

_“Let’s go,” Tom huffed, “I need to get Dumbledore’s transfiguration assignment done before supper if we’re heading to the Hospital Wing after, since I’m not sure how long it will take.”_

_I shrugged my shoulders and we headed to our room_ _on_ _the boy’s side of the Slytherin Dorms. For some reason, I had a feeling that my time at Hogwarts wasn’t going to be the same anymore._


	4. And the Dippet conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione talks about how she remembers her first encounter with Tom and Abraxas as well as her conversation with Headmaster Dippet. It would seem that he quickly realized that she was hiding something.

“Hmm,” Myone mumbled curiously, her head turned to her husband.

“What?” he responded back flatly, though intrigued. Draco simply watching the exchange with interest.

“I never really thought about your side of how our first encounter went,” she shrugged with a laugh, “I mean, hearing you talk about how we first met seems completely different than I remember, yet still somehow completely the same.”

_I awoke to find myself flat on my back and staring at the blurry image of a woman in a nursing uniform fussing over me. Last I remembered I had been standing in the Library with Draco and was surrounded by fallen books. Someone must have taken me to the hospital wing. She was still blurry, but now that I knew who she was, I was able to be polite to the woman who was currently helping me sit upright as I was seemingly unable to perform the task on my own._

_“Thank you Madam Pomfrey,” I said with a smile. I still couldn’t quite see her clearly but I was able to make out a small dark forest green decanter in her outstretched hand. I took the potion bottle and tried to focus on it and get my vision cleared. It was quite frustrating not to be able to see clearly; it felt like when I’d taken polyjuice to look like Harry and I hadn’t put his glasses on yet. He really did have atrocious eye sight._

_“You may have a concussion dear,” she stated and I found myself nodding stupidly as she continued, “I’m going to give you Wideye Potion and keep you for a bit of observation.” I was finally able to focus on the potion and noticed the triangle on one side with an almond eye inside it. That was a typical bottle for Wideye Potion._

_“Alright,” I noted with a nod, swigging the potion quickly and attempting to tape down the grimace at the fowl taste. I continued to stare at the bottle as I asked, “Can you just let Harry and Ron know that I’m alright and tell Draco I’m sorry if you see him, I didn’t mean to accuse him of tipping the bookcase.”_

_“Alright dear, you just get some rest and if you’re up for it, you do have some visitors.”_

_“Oh, Harry and Ron are already here?” I questioned curiously looking up to find that the woman wasn’t Madam Pomfrey at all.   Who just gave me a potion and why was she in the Hospital Wing? I glanced around curiously, this was definitely still the Hospital Wing._

_“Um no dear, the boys who found you,” she replied and I realized that I didn’t recall what I’d asked her to begin with. Oh Merlin, what had that woman given me?_

_“Alright,” I nodded blankly, trying to think up viable means of escape. I looked over to the nightstand and spotted my beaded bag, much to my relief. After the war, an exposé had been done on my part in the war and I had discussed the importance of my beaded bag and how I would most likely carry something similar with me for the rest of my life. Either these people hadn’t read the article and were taking hostages without doing the proper research or they meant me no harm. Either way I needed to keep my eyes peeled._

_I set the potion decanter on the nightstand beside the oil lamp and was about to grab my bag when I heard a creak from the floorboards and whipped around to spot what I could only describe as a young Tom Riddle and a Malfoy of some sort._

_My eyes widened in fear as I pushed myself against the metal headboard in an attempt to put space between us while I attempted to deem a suitable escape. I knew that my wand was somewhere in my bag as that was where I typically kept it during lunch, and I had been planning to go to lunch before my fallout with Ron. I just needed to get to my bag without alerting them to my intentions, whatever my intentions were._

_“Hi,” the blonde one stated somewhat tentatively. I hadn’t expected him to speak and the sound of his voice made me jump. I’d found quite early on that I’d never lost my jumpiness from the war. The boy continued to talk, though with a bit of trepidation, “My name is Abraxas…”_

_My body froze, I knew that name, but from where. Where had I heard that name before? Suddenly it came to me and I heard myself whisper the answer in disbelief, “Malfoy.”_

_“And I am Tom…Tom Riddle,” the other boy stated confidently. He moved his hand and I flinched, knowing that the young Voldemort was going to Avada me now and save himself the trouble. Then I noticed that he had moved his hand to his chest as though he was furthering his introduction._

_Unsure of what to say I sat there uncomfortably. Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy’s father, and Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, were standing before me as I sat in a bed in the Hospital Wing. After what felt like forever of us staring at one another awkwardly, Tom continued in a slightly annoyed tone, “This would be the time when you would introduce yourself.”_

_Completely ignoring what he’d said I found myself stuttering out a question of my own, “Where am I?”_

_“The Hogwarts infirmary,” the Malfoy boy responded. Tom glared at him and I realized that he was still waiting for an answer to his own question._

_“Oh…alright,” I stated slightly nervous. “Um…you wanted my name.” Malfoy…Abraxas nodded and I took a deep breath._

_“Um…my….my name.” Shit what was my name? I couldn’t very well say Hermione Granger now could I. That was clearly not a very Wizardy name and it would be obvious that I was a Muggleborn…Mudblood as it were. I had to think, “….um…mee…um…me…own-”_

_Now I was just sounding like an idiot. I had to think. There were only so many possibilities for this series of events: (1) Death Eaters captured me and were using some sophisticated charms to make themselves look like the original Dark Lord and his right hand man just for kicks; (2) I was insane and this was all in my head, while in reality Harry and Ron were crying over my body as I was placed into a cell beside Frank and Alice Longbottom; (3) I’d somehow managed to travel back in time to when Tom Riddle was going to Hogwarts._

_Actually, time travel wasn’t too bad of a theory. I sighed internally; I knew it was bad if time travel was the option that made the_ most _sense. Well I’d rather not think about the other two options at the moment so I decided I was going to stick with the time travel theory for now…at least I could prove it otherwise._

_That still didn’t fix my current dilemma however; I still needed a name to tell Riddle. What was a decent pureblood last name that wouldn’t raise too many questions? I looked around the room for a year of some kind. Madam Pomfrey usually had a calendar up near her office; however this one didn’t seem to.   It seemed I was on my own. Well Tom Riddle just introduced himself as Tom Riddle and he stopped doing that after his short lived employment at Borgin and Burkes and with Draco’s Grandfather standing there at about my age and with both of them in school uniforms they had to be students and not visitors coming to see the time traveler. So if they were both in school still and clearly in their later years then it would definitely be the 40’s._

_Alright now what name can I use…? “..ee…me…her….me own…me own…ee um…mc…Macmillan.” Yeah, Macmillan; there were enough of them that it wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary that one would turn up. That would work._

_“Meownee Macmillan,” Tom repeated. How in the Godric’s name was he able to get a first name out of my stuttering. Meownee, what kind of name was that? But it would work. It sounded enough like Mione that I would know to respond to it without being so close that people would recognize that it was me. I guess I could live with that. I looked up at Tom who was staring at me in a way that was making me a bit uncomfortable. I shook my head no before quickly nodding and responding, “Yes, Myone um Mc…Macmillan…_ that’s _my_ _name.”_

_As I said it I realized that I sounded a bit unsure of myself and winced, but the damage was done - damage yeah, I supposedly had a bit of a concussion; me being a bit confused shouldn’t be much of a shocker. I suddenly caught eyes with Abraxas who smiled at me. I couldn’t help the shocked expression that crossed my face at that._

_“We’ll come to check on you later Myone,” Malfoy told me suddenly. I nodded a bit warily and watched as Malfoy turned to Riddle. Tom seemed to mumble under his breath about something but followed Malfoy out of the infirmary much to my great relief. Finally._

_The doors barely had time to close when they reopened and I spotted a balding man with a beard followed b_ _y_ _what could only be described as a younger Professor Dumbledore. I watched in fascination as the two walked toward me and stopped beside my bed._

_“Hello my dear,” the balding man said with a smile and I wracked my brain for his name. I’d seen his picture in Hogwarts: A History. He would’ve been the headmaster before Dumbledore so he’d be…Dippet._

_“Hello Headmaster Dippet,” I replied, earning a smile of curiosity from the two men._

_“It appears that you know my name but I can’t say I have the same honor,” he questioned curiously.   Should I tell him my real name or the one that Tom apparently gave me?_

_“Myone Macmillan.”_

_“And Ms. Macmillan, what brings you to Hogwarts?”_

_“Um…” I began before I paused. How was I supposed to respond to that?_

_“Was it Grindelwald?” he asked me curiously, earning what I’m sure was an awkward glance from me._

_“Um, yes Grindelwald,” I nodded trying to determine if he had been defeated yet or not in my brain._

_“That is understandable,” Dippet informed her, “We have had many transfers from Durmstrang to avoid him however you are the first to break the wards and appear in the library as well as the first to already be wearing the robes.”_

_I winced at that, I didn’t really have an explanation. My mind was whirling as I tried to come up with_ _some excuse_ _when I heard a loud banging sound and footsteps coming toward us._

_I looked to the source and found a boy, maybe a third or fourth year, doubled over and breathing heavy, “Quidditch,” he started, coughing for a second before continuing, “They crashed their brooms together; fell a few metres. We can’t wake them, sir.”_

_“Evelyn,” Professor Dumbledore called. I assumed he’d meant the nurse as she came running out of her office in a rush with a traveling medic bag and her outer robes._

_“I heard, Albus,” she replied, rushing out of the Hospital Wing with Dumbledore following behind her; the boy at his side, attempting to describe the incident._

_“So my dear,” Dippet continued, making me jump as I’d forgotten he was still here, “It seems that you are a mystery.”_

_“Sir?”_

_“Your robes,” he mentioned, his hand moving to inspect the hem curiously, “I’ve never seen them made this way. What I mean to say is, they are clearly the work for Madam Malkins’ but they are not any version that I have seen at Hogwarts.”_

_“Um…”_

_“You are not from Durmstrang, are you?   Considering many are in a near constant state of fear as Grindelwald’s power continues to grow, I must ask for the truth. Now my dear; who are you, and how did you apparate into the library?”_

_“I don’t know,” I responded, breaking down. The tears began to slide down my cheeks as I used the sleeves of my robes to wipe them away, “I was in the library, looking at books and the bookcase tipped and the books collapsed onto me. Next thing I knew I was here. I-what year is it?”_

_“Year?”_

_“I think I may have traveled through time.”_

_“My dear, such things are not possible.” I said nothing in response and he sighed sadly, “It is 1944.”_

_I gasped and my hand moved to cover my mouth in disbelief despite knowing that his answer was going to be something of the like, “44? Are you sure?”_

_“I should hope so,” he said, his mouth forming a smile that I suspected was to try and make me feel a bit better. It didn't. “What year were you expecting?”_

_“I_ was _from the year 1999.”_

_“1999? 55 years. What would cause such a thing?”_

_“I don’t know? I had given my time turner back to Professor McGonagall after Draco caught me using it…”_

_“A what?”_

_“A time turner, it allows someone to go back in time up to 24 hours, though no one was ever sure what would happen if it had been broken. But as I was saying, I’d already given it back to Professor McGonagall-unless it was the books?”_

_“The books?”_

_“The books that fell on me in the library, perhaps one had a hex on it that sent me back?”_

_“I will look into that for you, as I think it best that you not touch any of those books…” he trailed off at the annoyed look I gave him. “For your own protection my dear, I assure you.” I grumbled a bit but nodded in agreement. “In the meantime – you were in Gryffindor before, were you not?”_

_“I was.”_

_“Then I have no trouble in allowing that to continue, especially considering both Mr. Riddle and Mr. Malfoy have seen you in those robes already. You will need new ones however, so I will have a set owled here express so that you may look as the rest of the students do prior to leaving the Hospital Wing so as to avoid unanswerable questions.”_

_I nodded in agreement and smiled._

_“As for your true origins,” he continued and I looked up at him alarmed, “We’ll just keep it between the two of us, shall we?”_

_I nodded my head happily and he smiled in a way that reminded me a bit of St. Nick from the childhood stories my mother would read to me at Christmas time when I was younger._

_“Now, I understand that you were put on Wideye and that you will be unable to sleep but do try to rest and relax. It seems you will be starting here at Hogwarts as a new student tomorrow.”_

_I nodded my head in thanks and he smiled back, patting me on the shoulder comfortingly before heading out the main double doors of the Hospital Wing, his footsteps echoing along the corridor before the room fell completely silent and I knew that I was alone._

_Good Godric, what was I going to do? I was 55 years in the past; I was going to school with Tom Riddle. Maybe I should kill him. No, I can’t do anything. That was a rule of time travel, you can’t alter the past. But if I got rid of Voldemort, Harry would still have his family, no one would’ve had to grow up through a war. Fred wouldn’t have died. Teddy would have a mother and father. But…without Voldemort, would Teddy have even been born; without the Order, Tonks and Remus may have never gotten together._

_Gahh, I was giving myself a headache. And as much as I didn’t want to, I needed to follow Headmaster Dippet’s advice. I needed to relax; I had a concussion, at least to some degree if the blurriness I’d had was any indication. So as much as I wanted to figure all of this out, I needed to just stop and wait. It wasn’t as though I was going to really be able figure out much without visiting the library in any case._


	5. Potter and Leach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re not fine, and you will lie in these beds until I decide otherwise.”  
> “But Madam Treyhart, we have the match against Slytherin this weekend, we need to practice,” the other boy all but whined.  
> “You will lie down and be quiet, there are other people here recovering as well and they don’t need your disruption.”  
> “It’d probably be in their best interest if we weren’t here then,” the boy with the injured arm tried to reason with a smirk.  
> “And it would be in your best interest to stop talking and get into bed,” the witch argued back in slight annoyance.

_I’d just laid back onto the bed, eyes closed despite not being able to drift off, when I heard a sudden commotion. Of course, I thought annoyed, just when I was finally beginning to relax._

_“We’re fine,” I heard a boy grumble in frustration as I struggled to sit up and look out over the Hospital Wing. Two boys suddenly came into view, one on a stretcher that was following behind the nurse, the other walking, but cradling his arm delicately. Clearly neither of them were in fact, ‘fine’._

_“You’re not fine, and you will lie in these beds until I decide otherwise.”_

_“But Madam Treyhart, we have the match against Slytherin this weekend, we need to practice,” the other boy all but whined._

_“You will lie down and be quiet, there are other people here recovering as well and they don’t need your disruption.”_

_“It’d probably be in their best interest if we weren’t here then,” the boy with the injured arm tried to reason with a smirk._

_“And it would be in your best interest to stop talking and get into bed,” the witch argued back in slight annoyance._

_She, Madam Treyhart, I corrected in my mind, deposited the boy on the stretcher into the bed beside mine. The boy with the injured arm climbed atop the bed on the other side of his apparent friend._

_“Now, I’ll be in my office,” she informed the two before issuing a warning, “Don’t you move from these beds.” They grumbled their compliance but agreed none-the-less. The witch then turned to me and smiled, “And how are you dear?”_

_“Fine, thank you - Madam Treyhart, was it?”_

_“Yes dear,” she smiled, before adding, “Now just relax dear and if these boys give you any trouble, just let me know.”_

_I nodded in agreement and the nurse moved quickly back into her office._

_“Who’s on the other side of you Nobbs?” the boy with the injured arm inquired curiously._

_“Don’ know,” he shrugged, moving to a sitting position despite his currently bum leg, “Hey you, what’s your name?”_

_I turned to stare at the boy in disbelief at his lack of manners, “Excuse me?”_

_“Ya heard me, what’s your name?”_

_I cleared my throat and moved my hand to my chest for emphasis before I realized that Tom had done the same thing quite recently and hastily dropped my hand, “Myone - Myone Macmillan.”_

_“Any relation to Lucretia?” he asked and I faltered. There were other Macmillans here? Maybe that wasn’t the last name to take._

_“Um, I don’t believe so,” I replied tentatively._

_“That’s alright. There’s lots of Macmillans so there’s a good chance there’s no relation.”_

_“And you are?” I asked trying to sound friendly but coming off quite cross. I couldn’t help it, he was a bit rude._

_“Me, Norbert Leach, future Minister of Magic,” he stated proudly, puffing out his chest and grinning from ear to ear. I couldn’t help but be reminded a bit of Ron. He had a similar brash personality._

_“Minister of Magic?” I asked, pretending that his statement was interesting._

_“Don’t listen to Nobbs,” the other boy shouted from two beds down, “He’s a bit full of himself; ain’t ya Nobbs?”_

_I froze, I was speaking to Norbert Leach, the first Muggleborn Minister of Magic. He was minister from 1962 to…1968. That’s right. I’d read about that. I’d found him quite inspirational, he’d fought the prejudice against Muggleborns by being Minister; many of the older members of the Wizengamot even stormed out upon his appointment._

_The man I’d thought of as a hero throughout my years at Hogwarts…was this man?_

_“I’m not full of myself,” Norbert responded with a huff, “Just confident.”_

_“Sure,” the other boy replied, rolling his eyes before turning to me and stating loudly as though I couldn’t hear him from the distance he was, “Guess I should introduce myself, I’m…”_

_“Potter you’d better be leaving that girl alone,” Madam Treyhart shouted from her office._

_“Of course Evelyn,” he said with a wide smile, earning a loud hymph from the office. Clearly the witch didn’t approve of him calling her by her first name._

_“As I was saying,” he said a bit quieter, “Name’s Charlus Potter. Best friend of this git here.” He added the last bit with a nonchalant point to Norbert with his thumb._

_“What happened?” I asked curiously, nodding my head toward their injuries and ignoring the pounding in my head at the sudden movement._

_“Well,” Norbert started, shrugging his shoulders, “We were a bit out of practice…”_

_“Speak for yourself,” Charlus scoffed with a smile._

_“We were training hard for the Slytherin/Gryffindor game coming up,” Norbert continued. I couldn’t help but smile at that; I remembered Harry and Ron training hard for the Slytherin game as well. It was quite a rivalry; especially as it seemed to be just the same more than 50 years before._

_“Charlus was going after the snitch that was headed South-East and I was headed toward the Quaffle which was North-West and well…we just sort of…”_

_“Collided,” Charlus finished, smashing his hands together to symbolize the collision._

_“We aren’t really hurt,” Norbert shrugged._

_“But ol' Treyhart wanted us for observation anyway,” Charlus added with a one arm shrug, wincing as pain shot through his injured arm. I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle at that. They were both more hurt than they wanted to let on._

_“So what happened to you?” Charlus asked curiously to me, “Don’t seem all that hurt to me; though I can’t say you look a lick familiar.”_

_“Yeah,” Norbert agreed, “And you’re wearing Gryffindor robes; they look a bit odd, but definitely Gryffindor.”_

_“Um, yeah,” I shrugged, trying to come up with something that would appease them, “I transferred from Durmstrang-”_

_“Old Grindelwald at it again, yeah?” Norbert interrupted._

_“Um…yeah, and I portkeyed into Hogsmeade but tripped and blacked out. They’re just keeping me for observation.” The boys nodded along, apparently my story was working._

_“And the robes?” Charlus questioned._

_“Old ones from a relative so I didn’t look so out of sorts when I turned up here,” I explained, “I didn’t have time to get new ones as I left late notice.”_

_“Makes sense,” Charlus agreed, “And it is true the Durmstrang students that have been transferring lately do look odd as most wear their old Durmstrang uniform til they get a new one during a Hogsmeade weekend. They stick out a bit.”_

_I nodded in agreement remembering fourth year and how odd they looked as they wandered throughout the castle, though they’d still fit in better than the Beauxbatons’ students._

_We settled into a comfortable silence that only broke when a loud grumbling sound came from one of the boys. I couldn’t tell which._

_“I believe it is supper time,” Norbert stated determined._

_“Can you stand though Nobbs,” Charlus asked, an eyebrow rising curiously._

_“Don’t see why not,” he shrugged, “She’s already taken care of it; she just wants me to stay off it while it fits itself back together.”_

_“And well you should,” I couldn’t help but state, crossing my arms defiantly as two heads swiveled to look at me, “I doubt Madam Treyhart told you to stay put simply to make your life more difficult.”_

_“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Charlus countered, “But none-the-less, we haven’t eaten since dinner.”_

_“We may starve,” Norbert added as though it was a serious concern, though a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before both boys burst into laughter._

_The laughter died immediately after however at the appearance of two more boys, two boys that I immediately recognized from earlier, Tom Riddle and Abraxas Malfoy._

_“Malfoy,” Norbert stated with a frown, his nose wrinkled up in disdain._

_“Leach,” Abraxas replied in an equally friendly manner. “I see your practice for the game on Saturday went well,” he said with the drawl I recognized from the limited number of times Lucius spoke near me._

_“It won’t matter,” Norbert replied, “We’ll still win come Saturday.”_

_“That I would very much like to see,” Malfoy replied with a sarcastic smile. The boys continued to glare but the smell of food began to permeate the room and caused the boys’ stomachs to growl again. I looked around and spotted the source of the smell, Malfoy was carrying a tray of food. Once he spotted me eyeing it, he moved toward me and set it on my lap._

_“I assume you haven’t eaten yet.”_

_“No, I haven’t….um, thank you.”_

_“Not a problem,” he answered with a smile._

_“What about ours?” Charlus asked, feigning hurt at being left out._

_“I believe it’d be where it’s supposed to be; the Great Hall,” Tom replied; making it the first thing he’d said since he arrived._

_“Oh, but Tom, I thought we were such great friends,” Charlus replied, giving a look of immense sadness that I could tell was fake._

_“It would appear you were wrong,” Tom huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes, “Now if you would move along it would be greatly appreciated.”_

_“What for?” Norbert questioned, raising an eyebrow._

_“We have some things to discuss with Ms. Macmillan here,” Malfoy responded, grabbing a discarded chair from the wall and moving it to my bedside before sitting himself into it._

_“What could you possibly have to discuss with her?” Norbert bristled, “I’m a prefect for Gryffindor, I’m sure I could handle whatever needs to be discussed.”_

_“And I am Head Boy,” Riddle reminded him, “I have precedence. Now, I believe you were planning to head to the Great Hall for supper?”_

_The boys grumbled to themselves, but got up; Charlus letting Norbert use his good shoulder for leverage as he limped from the Infirmary, the doors closing almost silently behind them._

_Riddle seemed quite pleased that they were gone and turned to me with a smile that I supposed was supposed to be charming but did nothing but terrify me as he suddenly asked, “Now, where were we?”_

_“Um, I…I don’t know,” I said nervously, glancing down at the food and frowning. I really was quite hungry, but the likelihood that this was poisoned was too high to discount._

_“Eat it,” Malfoy encouraged, “It won’t bite.”_

_“I have some questions for you,” Riddle continued, moving toward me and sitting himself at the foot of my bed.   I suddenly had the urge to kick him off but doubted it would end well._

_I really needed to think about where I was. It was 1944 and if it was near the Gryffindor/Slytherin game and they were still holding them around the same times that we held ours that would put this to be around November, the first or second week. That would mean then that Tom Riddle would be head boy and in his 7 th year and around a year younger than me as I was obviously repeating my last year. Most likely Malfoy would be the same age as Tom. This would mean that Dumbledore hadn’t defeated Grindelwald yet, though that much was fairly obvious and that the Basilisk had already been unleashed and Hagrid expelled. What was really the most confusing to process however was; why did I travel back 54 years and 3 months? Why didn’t I end up in 1945 January? Why November or all times?_

_What else did I know about Tom Riddle, Voldemort, or even the 1940’s Wizarding World for that matter?   We didn’t cover a lot of the 40’s in Professor Binn’s class. This was overly frustrating._

_“Are you even listening?” Tom asked annoyed before suddenly thumping me lightly on the leg closest to him causing me to jump._

_“What?” I gasped out as the food on the tray in my lap sloshed and spilled all over the blankets at my sudden movement._

_Tom jumped up and away from me, alarmed. Probably worrying about getting it on himself. I grumbled under my breath, though not saying anything in particular before Scourgifying it from myself and my blankets._

_“Did you just preform wandless nonverbal magic?” Tom asked in amazement. I looked up at him alarmed; I had, hadn’t I. I honestly hadn’t even thought twice. I really needed to be more careful._

_“Um…” I stuttered out._

_“Because I know only a few spells wandlessly and even fewer wandlessly_ and _nonverbally and all of the professors say that I’m incredibly advanced.” I wasn’t sure if he was gloating or humbled. He would be difficult to read and if there was one thing I needed to figure out how to do, it would be to learn to read Tom Riddle._

_“Um, I was considered quite advanced at Durmstrang,” I admitted falsely, hoping to pacify him for now. He nodded his head but I could tell that he was still very much mulling through the possibilities._

_Now they were both staring at me intently and I was beginning to feel a tad uncomfortable. After quite a bit of silence I finally broke it saying the first thing that spilled from my mouth, “What?”_

_“Nothing,” Tom was quick to assure, “It’s just…well…”_

_“Most of the pure-blooded girls here aren’t very concerned with being great witches,” Malfoy finished for him._

_I was sure that they noticed the look on my face that was something between a look of rage at the blanket statement on women as well as disbelief that the female population of Hogwarts in the 1940’s didn’t care anymore about their studies than that._

_“That’s not to say you can’t,” Malfoy was quick to correct, “It’s just that with the limited career options for women, most pureblooded girls at Hogwarts don’t concern themselves with the prospect of careers.”_

_I decided not to argue about how sexist that statement was, I needed to get this conversation back on track so that they’d leave and I’d be able to try and find a way back home, “So…what were we talking about?”_

_“Ahh yes,” Tom stated with a cough, “We were actually just wondering some general things about you. Nothing too serious or anything; it’s just that it’s not every day that we meet a witch in the way we met you.”_

_“You mean, collapsed under a pile of books in the library,” I added for them, unable to help the hint of a smile that passed onto my lips; the two nodding in agreement._

_“Yeah,” Tom replied._

_“So you’re in Gryffindor then?” Malfoy questioned motioning toward my odd looking robes._

_“Yes,” I nodded, pulling the blanket up over myself so that they wouldn’t notice the differences in the uniform, “I’ve already talked to Headmaster Dippet and Professor Dumbledore…they put an old hat on my head and it decided that I was to be placed in Gryffindor.”_

_“The sorting hat,” Tom clarified, “It’s put on most students in first year during the Welcome Feast, but with the transfers they’ve taken to doing the sorting privately to keep from singling the students out.”  I nodded, that did make sense._

_“What are you boys doing?” a voice huffed. I instantly recognized it as Madam Treyhart. “I don’t believe I told you that it was visiting hours,” she chastised the boys._

_“Our apologies Madam Treyhart, we just wanted to formally introduce ourselves as well as keep her company seeing as Potter and Leach both snuck out of here just as fast as they could,” Tom stated with an innocent smile. I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes ever so slightly; that was so Slytherin. Not only did he make it look as though he was playing some sort of good Samaritan despite him only coming up here for purely selfish reasons, he also managed to point out that Potter and Leach had fled knowing that it would get a rise out of the woman and that she would forget about them and instead have a fit about the two sneaking off._

_“Oh those two,” she huffed annoyed, looking toward the two abandoned beds before turning back to us, “I expect you both gone by the time I get back. She needs her rest.”_

_“Of course Madam Treyhart,” the two boys stated together like it was something that they’d practiced regularly. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt that they did._

“We hadn’t,” Brax assured his grandson, “But we’d done it enough times to enough Professors that we might as well have.”

_She nodded once and shut and locked her office door with the flick of her wand before she walked briskly from the Hospital Wing and down toward what I imagined was the Great Hall if she knew those boys at all._

_“Now that she’s gone…” Tom stated with relief, trailing off as he moved toward me with a smile that suddenly unnerved me greatly._

_“Are you going to kill me?” I suddenly sputtered out embarrassed. Had I really just said that out loud to Lord Voldemort? Good Godric, how stupid._

_“What?” Tom sputtered out, his eyes wide, “Nuu no. NO! Why? Is there a reason we should?”_

_“No,” I was quick to assure, “It’s just; you looked so serious right there I wasn’t entirely sure.”_

_“We’re not going to kill you,” Malfoy assured from beside me causing me to jump. I’d forgotten he was there. Merlin, I was jumpy today. I really needed to calm myself or I was going to look like a paranoid lunatic._

_“Sooo,” Malfoy continued, “I guess that’s it then?” It seemed as though the silence was making him uncomfortable and he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t the only one. I shrugged my shoulders but noticed Riddle glare at him. Apparently the future Dark Lord still had questions; too bad._

_“I am feeling quite worn,” I lied, the two ending their staring contest and both turning to look at me concerned._

_“Well that won’t do,” Riddle commented, feigning sympathy, “We’ll leave you to rest then. We hope to see you tomorrow.”_

_“Tomorrow then,” I replied, forcing a smile and nodding my head to the two boys who both nodded in return before turning and letting the doors to the Hospital Wing close behind them._

_Relieved, I flopped back onto the bed with a sigh, my head hitting the white bars on the headboard on accident, “Oww!”_


	6. Draco’s contemplation and his Mother’s Input

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finished for the evening, Draco heads toward the kitchen for a snack and comes across his mother who has a few things to say as well. Draco never knew so much about his family.

“Well I guess that’s enough for tonight,” Myone said, heaving a sigh as she eyed the setting sun from the bay window on the other side of the room. Her shoulders sagged ever so slightly and Draco couldn’t help but notice for the first time, how old she really was.

He’d accepted by now that this was his Grandmother. As unlikely as it was, he couldn’t help but see the merit in what she was saying. A part of him knew that he’d never really truly accept it, but another part of him was kind of relieved to have Muggle blood in his heritage; maybe it would help get his family back up from the gutter they were currently living in.

“I…I can’t believe that this is real,” Draco finally admitted aloud, his head spinning slightly in disbelief as he rested his face in his hand, his fingers ruffling through his hair.

“What do you mean?” his Grandfather asked curiously, leaning forward ever so slightly in the portrait, his white-blonde hair contrasting severely with what Draco associated with his father.  He wondered why his father liked his hair so long when his Grandfather kept his cut so close to his head.

“Well,” Draco began, gesturing to his Grandmother who was looking at him as curiously as his Grandfather, “Hermione Granger was my arch-nemesis; probably even more so than Potter. She continually beat me in every subject, was considered the brightest witch of her age, and was actually quite popular with the students and the teachers. She slapped me in third year. She consisted of 1/3 the Golden Trio which I considered the bane of my existence. And now, after years of hatred and anger, I find out that she’s been my Grandmother all along.”

“I know it’s probably a bit difficult for you to come to terms with…” Myone began before trailing off.

“Oh really,” he replied in that sarcastic tone that all Malfoys seemed to have.   She’d smacked Lucius in the back of the head for that tone more than once throughout his summers home from Hogwarts. He’d smarted off more times than not growing up.

“Yes,” she responded, “You have to understand that as hard as this was for you, it was just as hard for me. I grew up in a world that hated Muggleborns and went to school with you, who stood against everything that I was.

"Then after all those years of helping Harry try to defeat the Death Eaters and Voldemort; just as I thought everything would finally be normal, that I would finally be able to relax, I was thrust back to the very beginning to go through all of it all over again.  I had to deal with Voldemort all over again; and the boy who treated me like dirt; I had to associate with his whole family. Not only that but after a while, I convinced myself that I could fix things; that me being there would change everything, only to find that everything was always going to be the same as it always was.

Draco’s head fell at that. He could understand how she felt, slightly. He obviously still didn’t know the whole story but if what she just said was true and she had tried to change things then she probably thought that marrying Abraxas Malfoy and being friends with Tom Riddle would fix the future, that he and his father wouldn’t even be born. Then as things progressed, she would feel helpless to watch as everything fell right back into place. He could only imagine how she felt as her son turned into his father.

Slightly uncomfortable with the now awkward silence, Draco bid them a good evening before setting off toward the kitchen. He’d lost track of time and realized that he’d missed supper and it was now late evening.

“Draco dear,” his mother called from inside the lady’s room, the door open and giving her a view out into the hall. Draco paused contemplating the awaited conversation before turning around and going inside to greet his mother.  She was sitting at her writing desk and penning a letter to one of her friends. She re-dipped her quill and continued on without even acknowledging that he had entered, and for a second Draco questioned whether or not she had wanted to speak with him at all; but soon enough she had set the quill horizontally atop the ink well and folded her letter, placing it in the envelope.

“Did you wish to speak with me mother?” he asked curiously.

“Yes dear,” she responded, using her wand to warm the green sealing wax she kept in her desk, letting it drip onto the envelope lip, and pressing her right thumb into the now rapidly cooling wax. When she removed her finger it revealed the Malfoy crest as pureblooded families had done for centuries.

She then moved swiftly to the window and snapped her fingers, their eagle owl, Aquila, swooped onto the ledge, took her post, and sped toward its destination. Satisfied, Narcissa turned toward her son and smiled, “Draco dear, I couldn’t help but notice that you were talking with the portraits in the drawing room.”

Draco stiffened, unsure if it was positive or negative that he was talking to them, but Narcissa continued on unperturbed. “I haven’t felt particularly comfortable enough to talk with her since the war,” she admitted, “And I know your father refuses to even look at the walls where portraits are held as he can’t forgive himself. I’m glad you’re talking to them.”

“It’s actually for a project for Professor Binns,” Draco admitted with an uncomfortable shrug, “I probably wouldn’t have even gone down the family hallway if I hadn’t needed to talk with an ancestor to begin with.”

“None the less,” Narcissa replied, turning to her son and placing her hand on his shoulder, “I want you to listen to them, enjoy their stories, and treasure them. Myone was the one who welcomed me into the Malfoy family even though my parents wanted Bella to marry Lucius; Myone knew of my feelings for him and was adamant that your father and I spend time together.”

“You mean Father and Aunt Bella-,” Draco began before trailing off, shivering in disbelief.

Narcissa nodded, “My father and Lucius’ father were good friends and they had attempted to set up an arranged marriage between their firstborns but your Grandmother wouldn’t hear of an arranged marriage, despite it being normal amongst pureblood families during that time.”

Draco decided not to mention that she was a Muggleborn as he wasn't sure if his mother knew the whole story. “As I got a bit older, Myone found that she was unable to have a daughter of her own and instead spent much of her time with me. I always called her Aunt Myone but when Lucius and I got engaged she insisted I call her Mum.”

“You called her Mum?”

She smiled at the memory, “I did. My own mother required that we call her mother as was proper, but Myone wished for me to call her Mum. She died not long after the Dark Lord began to rise to power and once she was gone, Lucius showed allegiance to him. Abraxas didn’t live much longer after his wife had died, though I suspected it wasn’t of a broken heart like the Prophet had reported; I determined that it was far more likely that they had been cursed as they did not hesitate to show their dislike with regards to some of the Dark Lord’s more extreme stances.”

Draco nodded numbly and Narcissa smiled, “I’ve given you even more to ponder haven’t I.”

“I’m afraid my brain may overload to be honest, Mother,” Draco muttered darkly.

“I’m sorry dear,” Narcissa apologized, giving her son a light hug before placing one hand on each of his shoulders and pushing herself back to get a good look at him. “Go get some rest dear. You’ve had a bit of an overwhelming day.”

“Thank you mother,” he nodded blankly, turning and walking through the halls without taking much note of his surroundings until he reached his bedroom.

As he lie atop the Slytherin green comforter of his bed, his mind began to wander. He thought back to what he had thought about when he’d awoken in this very bed, only this very morning.

He _had_ planned to quickly get his project for Binns over and done with before spending the rest of the time playing Quidditch at the rentable indoor pitch in Diagon Alley with Zabini and Nott and the rest of his friends, but now…now he was planning to spend the rest of his break listening to Granger talk about her life; what’s worse was he actually looking forward to knowing what had happened.

Draco rubbed his hand down his face in exasperation, “I must be losing it,” he groaned.


	7. This is Gryffindor…so why is Greyback here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione…now Myone is released from the hospital wing and is on her way to breakfast when she meets up with Gryffindor and is properly introduced coming face to face with Ron’s Great Aunt Muriel and Fenrir Greyback just to name a few. Who let Greyback into Gryffindor and why wasn’t he more insane like she’d always imagined him to be?

Draco woke early the next morning, finding his way down to the kitchens; passing the butler’s pantry and quarters where Dobby had lived when he had still been of service. He passed the laundry and the dairy before finding his way into the kitchen itself where two house elves were busying themselves with their morning routine of getting breakfast around for the family. Draco had come down early as he had planned to visit with Granger as soon as possible and doubted he would be present for the meals throughout the day. He hoped that he’d be able to eat something now as well as collect a few snacks to take along in case he grew peckish over the course of the day.

“Ophi, Thing,” Draco greeted, seating himself at the island as the two house elves continued about their morning tasks. They typically didn’t mind his presence in the kitchen or the scullery as long as he didn’t put them behind. Ophi, better known as Ophiuchus, meaning ‘Serpent Bearer’ was the first House Elf his parents had purchased jointly, and was rightly named after both the house of the serpent as well as a constellation; while Thing was a wedding gift from some relative of his mother’s named Walburga, who had named the two house elf brothers Creature and Thing, or so he’d been told.

Thing was near the end of his life, while Ophi was quite a bit younger than even Dobby, but both felt quite at home in Malfoy manor and were more than happy to serve the family.

Draco watched as Thing twirled his finger and the wooden spoon in the large pot across the room stirred itself while he cut and chopped onions, cayenne pepper, suet, and other various herbs that Draco had never bothered to differentiate. As Thing joined them to the pot and let it simmer, Draco smiled at the smell, Thing was making fresh Black Pudding.

“The young Master wishes for an early breakfast?” Ophiuchus asked curiously, her wide eyes curious.

“I was,” Draco confirmed, “If it isn’t too much trouble.”

“Oh of course not, of course not,” Ophi assured, scrambling about and banging the pots around in her haste.

“Ophi must control herself,” Thing growled annoyed, continuing to stir as he prepared the casings.

“Oh yes, oh yes, of course, of course,” Ophi assured Thing before turning back to Draco, “What would the young Master like?”

“Anything is fine,” Draco shrugged; he didn’t want to wait long as it would simply take time away from the story.

“If the young Master would like,” Thing interrupted, “Thing will bring the young Master a full English breakfast once it’s ready.”

Draco couldn’t help but smile at that, “But isn’t it only proper to have full meals _only_ in the dining room?”

“It is, it is,” Thing confirmed, “But the young Master is now of age is he not? He is now of age to claim a room as his study and once a young master has a room claimed as his study he is able to eats in there, he is.”

“So I can claim the drawing room as my study?”

“One must think things through though master, perhaps a temporary study would be more fit to your needs,” Thing suggested.

Draco nodded, a sly smile overtaking his lips, “Perhaps.”

“Thing shall bring your breakfast to yours temporary study, he shall,” Thing confirmed; Draco nodding his head in agreement.

“Thank you Thing,”

“Of course sir, Thing lives to serve the Conquering Purity of House Malfoy,” Thing replied as he turned his back on Draco and continued on with his work.

Draco moved from the kitchens and made it about ten feet before he froze. Thing had said the Conquering Purity of House Malfoy, as was their family motto; just as his mother’s was the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black or the Weasley’s with the Most Prolifick House of Weasley. Draco couldn’t help but want to laugh, they’re motto was literally about purity and his father was a half-blood. His Grandmother was a Muggleborn and their motto was based solely around purity.

Draco fought the laughter from spilling over his lips and found his way to the drawing room where his Grandmother and Grandfather were already waiting; laughing and talking with one another,

“And then I say, ‘Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Malfoy?’” she said with a smile, her eyes crinkling with laughter and her husband joining in.

“Yes, I remember that one, thanks,” Draco responded, finding his way to the green cushioned bench and flopping himself upon it with a huff.

“Oh, Draco,” Myone admonished, “You were just such an adorable ferret and such a git the rest of the time.”

“Thanks Grandmum,” he replied sarcastically, earning a one-sided smirk from Abraxas, one that he recognized from himself.

“Come back for more have you,” Abraxas responded with a laugh, leaning back against his identically upholstered bench.

“Well, I’ve already invested a full day with you people so I figure I might as well; Binn’s paper is still due either way,” Draco responded with a nonchalant shrug.

“You know by this time in the Holiday, my paper was already done and I won’t even get to turn it in,” Myone replied haughtily.

“Are you offering your paper?” Draco questioned rhetorically with a raised brow, earning a huff and crossed arms from the girl.

“In your dreams; though I did do my paper on my Great Great Grandmother Annabelle who was a Muggle author. Technically she’d be your Great Great Great Great Grandmother.”

“I don’t need your lecture on my Muggle ancestry, are you going to tell me the story or not,” he replied with a huff.

“Of course, of course,” she assured, “Now where did I leave off last?”

“You were still in the hospital wing and Tom and I had gone off for the night,” Abraxas reported to his wife who nodded in agreement.

“Ahh, yes. I remember now.”

_I’d finally gotten some peace and quiet with everyone gone and relaxed for about an hour or so. When Madam Treyhart finally came back in after hunting down Charlus and Norbert she’d informed me that they were fine, but wouldn’t be bothering me for the rest of the night, I inferred from there that she’d probably given them detention. She then ran a diagnostic on me, determined that I was fine to get some sleep, and told me that I’d be able to join the others in the morning for breakfast. I was given the antidote for the wideye potion before finally being given a warming charm and a kind goodnight from the medi-witch._

_By the time I awoke the following morning, the owl with my robes had already come and gone and I’d changed quickly in the bathroom before carefully folding my old school things and placing them into my beaded bag. I found myself conflicted due to the modesty of the times; it seemed that my school skirt flowed down near the floor though it didn’t quite touch. I was relieved to note that the top was quite a bit like my old one, though the coloring and stitching was just different enough that someone would have probably caught the difference had I not been given replacements._

_The robes themselves were also only slightly different, but enough so that I was glad for Dippet’s attention to detail. I also noticed that there was a witch's hat and I realized that unlike my time, they probably wore them a majority of the time. I hadn't really thought about Malfoy and Riddle wearing them when they visited me, though Potter and Leach hadn't been, probably due to their Quidditch practice. I couldn't help but wonder when the hat tradition had changed._

_Once I’d straightened myself out and slung my bag over my shoulder, I gathered the books I suspected Dippet had ordered for me and proceeded to make my way down to breakfast. As I passed a few fellow Gryffindors I asked the way to the Great Hall as to not appear suspicious. They were more than happy to oblige and were amicably friendly as Gryffindors tended to be._

_“You must be new….or at least I hope you are, otherwise I must be losing my touch,” one of the girls smiled, sticking out her hand to shake, “Cyder Vane; sixth year.” Cyder had long thick wavy brown hair and I suspected she was somehow related to Romilda Vane who had tried to trick Ron into loving her during sixth year, though I wasn’t about to hold that against her._

_“Oh, hello,” I responded back, “My name’s Myone Macmillan, seventh year.”_

_“You are new though, right?” another girl asked curiously. She had redish-brown hair and was a bit pudgy in a friendly sort of way._

_“I am,” I confirmed, “Fresh from Durmstrang.”_

_“Too bad,” the pudgy girl sighed before backtracking quickly at the furrowed brow I gave her, “Not against you of course; just, you know, Grindelwald and everything. Sorry; I’m Elspeth Peakes.”_

_“Don’t mind Els,” the blonde girl said casually with a wave of her hand, “I’ve known her for the last seven years and she’s never gotten any better about thinking before speaking.” She turned and shook hands with me as she introduced herself, “Margaret Ward, seventh year Muggleborn.”_

_“Muggleborn?” I asked surprised, “I didn’t think it was necessary to introduce yourself as a Muggleborn.”_

_“Well coming from Durmstrang I’d assumed you hadn’t met any before and were most likely quite prejudice against us. Too many times have I made friends, only for them to turn on me once they find out. They may not agree with the pureblooded mania of Grindelwald but that doesn’t mean that like us Magic robbing Muggles.”_

_“Well perhaps I don’t appreciate the stereotype that I have something against Muggleborns. I, for example, have no problem with them, though I may have a problem specifically with the ones who assume I have a problem with them without getting to know me first,” I replied haughtily._

_“I for one think that we are going be great friends,” Margaret smiled, before turning and sweeping her arm out in a grand gesture, “May I present: the Great Hall.”_

_Elspeth and Cyder pulled the doors open from either side while Margaret led the way into the hall, me right behind her, and the two others walking side by side a few steps behind me. Margaret stopped in front of the Gryffindor table near where I could tell the older students sat and gestured to me, “This is Myone Macmillan, our new seventh year Gryffindor transfer from Durmstrang.” She then turned to me, “This is Gryffindor.”_

_I looked out over the crowd in awe, “Hello.”_

_“Hello,” some replied half-heartily from their plates as they continue to stuff their faces with breakfast._

“Speaking of breakfast,” Draco interrupted, earning a look of indignation from his Grandmother at the interruption, “What? Just because you’re a portrait and don’t eat doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t mind a decent meal every once in a while.”

“By all means,” Myone huffed, “Carry on.”

“Thank you, I was planning to anyway,” Draco responded with a smirk, calling out, “Thing.”

“The young Master called for Thing,” Thing called as he apparated in with a full English breakfast in hand.

“Wonderful Thing; just what I needed.”

“I live to serve the master.”

“Wonderful,” Myone grumbled annoyed, “Now may I continue your highness.”

“You may,” Draco answered, waving his fork at her in a circular movement, his mouth already full of food. Myone merely rolled her eyes at him and continued,

_Margaret found herself a seat and patted the bench beside her, indicating for me to sit.   After fumbling with my floor length skirt and attempting to step over the bench I finally managed to sit beside her; I was going to need to practice that._

_“Hi,” a boy greeted enthusiastically, his red hair hanging in his eyes as he attempted to swallow his mouthful of sausages, “Amicus Weasley at your service.”_

_“Hello,” I said with a smile. He was just as tall and skinny as I remembered from meeting him at Fred’s funeral. If I remembered right, Arthur’s father Septimus was the seventh son and Amicus was the eighth. I couldn’t help the grin that cropped up on my face as I eyed the man who looked so much younger now than he was when I last saw him._

_Margaret leaned over toward me and whispered into my ear, “Amicus is a third year but he’s a bit lanky and many of the Slytherins purposely pick on him by insinuating that he’s a first.  It doesn’t help that he has seven older brothers who all like to pick on him too.” I nodded my head and frowned in understanding; responding with,_

_“How horrid.”_

_“Maybe you shouldn’t make out with that sausage so much Muriel,” a voice laughed from just a bit down the table causing me to turn slightly to see two twin girls with red hair and froze. One had said the first sentence and suddenly the other finished with,_

_“You’ll make Goyle green with envy.” I spotted a first year girl with orangy-red hair turn to glare at the two twins that stood behind her making pig noises and laughing whole-heartedly._

_“Go away you cows,” the girl, Muriel, scowled angrily, burying her face in her food as she tried to ignore the other two._

_“That,” Margaret suddenly sputtered into my ear, “Is Muriel, Quintessa, and Bessandra Shell. Muriel is a first year and her two twin sisters are both fourth years. Despite their odd names they go by Tessie and Bessie.” My mind was swimming in wonder; I was meeting everyone’s parents. I couldn’t help but think about Fred and George complaining about having to see their Great Aunt Muriel or Ron whining about his dress robes smelling like they’d come from Great Aunt Tessie. Now I was actually meeting them. Muriel, Tessie, and Bessie…Bessie was Mrs. Weasley’s mother…Molly’s mother. Molly’s mother was Great Aunt Tessie’s Twin. Twins really did run in the family didn’t they?_

_My mind was on overload._

_“How’s the food Weasley?” a voice asked curiously as three more boys joined the table, two of which I immediately recognized. Charlus and Norbert. The third was causing me to draw a blank. Amicus nodded but didn’t say anything, he was probably intimidated by the seventh year boys._

_“Those three,” Margaret warned aloud, causing the boys to look up, eye her pointed finger, and smirk, “You need to watch out for. Those three are trouble. Always causing us prefects problems.”_

_“Someday my dear, you will realize that it is not problems you are feeling but a fluttering in your heart,” Norbert declared, flinging his fork about and throwing food willy-nilly._

_“You sure dat’s not indigestion?” the boy she didn’t recognize asked with a laugh._

_“Stuff it Fen you old codger,” Norbert replied, poking him in the nose with said fork before going back to his bacon with a huff._

_“Good golly Greyback,” Charlus spouted in false indignation, “You know better than to question Norbert’s effects on the fair maidens.”_

_“I feel as though I lose an OWL every time you boys are near,” Margaret huffed annoyed._

_“Have you checked your skirts,” Charlus guessed, feigning innocence, “Chap could get lost up those bustles.”_

_“Uggh,” she huffed annoyed, standing and storming from the Great Hall in a huff.   Something I could’ve seen myself doing not so long ago. She was like the me of the 40’s. But perhaps, if she was the me, I could be someone else._

_But wait…did I hear Greyback?  I turned to the boy now wolfing down his sausages. I froze, poor choice of words Hermione, and tentatively reached out my hand.  “Hi. I’m the new Gryffindor transfer; Myone Macmillan.”_

_“Fenrir Greyback,” he replied, shaking my hand with one hand while trying to cover his mouth with the other as he talked with his mouth full._

_“It’s nice to meet you,” I lied thickly. How did the man who attacked Professor Lupin as a child and killed people for fun have been friends with Harry’s Grandfather and the first Muggleborn Minister of Magic? Maybe I wasn’t in the past at all, maybe this was some sort of demented nightmare and someone was just torturing me for fun…oh God…that actually made sense._

_No. Get a grip Hermione. Calm down and GET A GRIP!_

_“Ms. Macmillan,” a voice suddenly said calmly from behind me, making me jump._

_“Jumpy lit’l bird ain’t ya,” Greyback smirked, earning an annoyed look from me as I looked above myself and spotted Professor Dumbledore staring down at me with a smile._

_“I have for you, your new timetable,” he said politely, setting it onto the table as I was seemingly too startled to offer my hand before he continued on his merry way and meandered from the Great Hall entirely._

_“So what’cha got,” Greyback asked curiously, grabbing the parchment off the table before I’d had a chance to look at it and sucking on his oily fingers as he eyed it curiously._

_Was it weird that he was reminding me more and more of Ronald?_

_I tore the parchment from his grasp indignantly with a huff and scowled at him, “Perhaps I should look first, seeing as it is mine.”_

_“Well go on then,” he replied, heavily, waving at me passively, “No one’s holding a wand to ye head.”_

_“It looks like I have Potions first…”_

_“Booo,” Charlus replied, with a thumbs down._

_“I don’t recall asking for your commentary,” I replied annoyed. They shrugged but quieted down, “Anyway, first I have Potions, then Charms, Transfiguration, and finally Traditional Studies on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Arithmancy, Alchemy, Ancient Runes, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I only have eight classes!...and what in the world is Traditional Studies?”_

_“Eight classes is a lot for a woman,” Norbert shrugged nonchalantly, earning a dark look for me that made him shrink back a bit. “What?…it’s just women don’t really have many options so they don’t really bother with school much.”_

_“What is that supposed to mean?”_

_“Don’t you know?” Greyback asked curiously, leaning forward as though it were some sort of secret._

_“What?”_

_“Women; whether it be in the Muggle world or the Wizarding World, they don’t really have a lot of lucrative job offers. I mean you can be a medi-witch or a teacher, but most of the girls here just want to be housewives and raise families.”_

_“What a crock,” I spouted, earning odd looks from the three boys, “I will be whatever I want to be. I mean I was planning to be a healer but now since that’s some sort of acceptable position, maybe I’ll be an auror...I’d be great at that job as well.”_

_“Well… technically a healer and a medi-witch_ aren’t _the same thing….” Leach began tentatively, probably realizing that I wasn’t someone to be trifled with._

_“Just like a Headmaster and a teacher aren’t the same thing,” Charlus added with a shrug._

_“Or a Unicorn and a horse,” finished Fenrir, earning odd looks from the other two, “What?”_

_“Whatever,” I grumbled, “I’ll worry about the sexism running rampant later; what is Traditional Studies?”_

_“Well…” Charlus, winced, “They’re slightly connected…”_

_“What does that mean?”_

_“Well Traditional Studies is kind of like…Pureblood Housewife training lessons.”_

_“What does that mean?”_

_“Well,” Norbert sighed, crinkling his nose, “Are you familiar with muggle things?”_

_“To some degree,” I lied._

_“Well,” Norbert continued, “I’d be like Home Economics but with spells and party hosting and all the other things I imagine pureblooded housewives busy themselves with.”_

_“I wouldn’t know,” I huffed, the idea of sitting through a class like that, making me sick._

_“My guess is that you’ll find out,” Fenrir sighed with a shrug._


	8. The First of Classes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myone has Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration and meets Ryland Yaxley, Caspar Crouch, and a few Ravenclaws named Salvatore and Lyall.

_It didn’t take long before breakfast was over and I was left to my own devices by the three boys to find the Potions class. Apparently, none of them had found it prudent to take NEWT level Potions and I was left one my own while they all went off toward the grounds. I could only assume that they were headed to Care of Magical Creatures. I, of course, knew my way to potions, but for argument’s sake was forced to appear lost._

_“It appears my luck is with me today,” a voice said behind me, causing me to spin about and come face to face with Malfoy, his eyes shining with mirth, “Only just this morning I’d thought to myself, ‘I wonder if I’ll see Ms. Macmillan today' and here you are.”_

_“Here I am,” I affirmed, “You wouldn’t happen to be going to Potions, would you?”_

_“Potions?” he questioned curiously, “I am. You are as well I suspect.”_

_“You suspect correctly,” I nodded, a smile flicking across his lips before vanishing seconds later._

_“Well what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t walk a lady to her class,” Malfoy smiled, taking the crook of my arm and leading me quite forcibly toward the dungeons. A large part of me wanted to rip my arm from his grasp but another part of me didn’t want to start making enemies on my first day. I was already on thin ice just being more than_ _50_ _years in the wrong time but to start getting on the wrong sides of the powerful Slytherins probably wasn’t a good move on my part; so I held my tongue and let he lead me like a child to a classroom I’d sat in for seven years already._

_He didn’t say anything until we were inside the classroom and then it was, “You can join our group if you like, we only have three and the other groups have four…but only if you want, of course.”_

_“That’s fine,” I conceded. I didn’t know anyone in any of the other groups so I figured that Malfoys' was probably the best bet. He nodded and smiled before leading me over to a table in the front corner nearest where the shelves of ingredients were stored; they had probably gotten that table strategically. Malfoy pointed to where I should set my bag and my books and as I sat_ _on_ _the stool I eyed the differences between now and my time. There weren’t many, surprisingly enough; mostly just that the tables were in groups of two making groups for four people rather than two and that they were facing each other rather than the front of the room so I’d have to turn to see the board and the professor._

_“So how are you liking Hogwarts so far?” Malfoy asked curiously._

_“I like it,” I shrugged nonchalantly; “I’ve met some interesting people since I’ve been out of the Hospital Wing. The Gryffindors sure are a rowdy bunch.”_

_“That’s an understatement,” Malfoy scoffed, “That lot wouldn’t know subtlety if it slapped them in the face.” I fought down the urge to comment on slapping his grandson and smiled silently instead._

_“Ah Ms. Macmillan, It is quite delightful to see you here in seventh year potions I must say,” a voice I recognized as Riddle’s said from behind me before taking the seat beside mine and setting his books out in small stacks on the desktop just as I had._

_“Not expecting me?” I questioned, giving him a challenging eye._

_“I couldn’t quite determine at the time,” he responded, “Though I can honestly say that I am not disappointed by your presence.” Well if that didn’t sound like a compliment…_

_“Who’s the brawd,” a man asked curiously as he came around the table and sat beside Malfoy. I couldn’t help but notice his Slytherin tie as well. I was in a group of all Slytherins. Harry and Ron would kill me. Curiosity peaked, I turned about in my stool to eye the other tables, wondering about the tie ratios and my mouth fell to the floor._

_The room had 15 students, well 14 not counting me and four tables of four. I could count five Ravenclaws, six Slytherins, three Gryffindors (including me), and one Hufflepuff. The table beside mine had three as well, either one student hadn’t bothered to attend today or Malfoy lied about it being the only seat in class. To add insult to injury, there was only one other girl in the class and she was a Ravenclaw. Was there really that few women in classes?_

_“This is Myone Macmillan,” Malfoy introduced, the boy taking the seat beside Malfoy and across from Riddle._

_“Name’s Yaxley, but call me Ryland. My father’s Yaxley and I’d rather not be associated if you don’t mind.”_

_I nodded my head and stood from my stool to reach over the cauldron in the center to shake his hand, “Myone Macmillan. I don’t mind either but I hear there are other Macmillans here so it might avoid confusion to call me Myone.”_

_“Noted,” he said with a grin, “Now this one I may not mind…even if she is a Gryffindor.” The other two laughed in the controlled Slytherin way but that was all that was said and I began to wonder if all the animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin didn’t stem until after Voldemort began to gain power. In my time a Slytherin wouldn’t be seen talking to a Gryffindor, let alone sitting together at a table. Maybe I could do some good here. Ryland had light brown hair that was cut close to his head just like Tom Riddle’s and Abraxas Malfoy’s was. He looked as though he didn’t joke often but did only around his close friends, who I suspected were these two._

_The door to the classroom closed and I immediately turned, half expecting Professor Snape; I still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that he was gone…or the new Potions master. He was, as Professor Snape would’ve said, “a dunderhead.”_

_“Sorry I’m late gentleman…and lady,” the professor added as an afterthought as he made his way into the room and set his books down on the front desk before turning and facing the class. Now he, I immediately recognized, Professor Slughorn seemed to look exactly the same, though perhaps a few years younger and a few pounds lighter. “You should be finishing up your papers on the first of the four potions and then as a group, will be deciding on your two potions for the remainder of the year.”_

_“What is he talking about?” I asked curiously, regrettably whispering my inquiry to Tom as my desire to not be lost in class overrode my restraint in talking to Voldemort’s younger self._

_“There are four potions that we should be proficient in by the end of the year but because of issues during fifth year, we are regrettably behind, so Slughorn’s decided to have us write papers on the four potions and then have us choose two of the potions to do as a group. Make sense?”_

_“Yes, thank you,” I nodded, looking back toward the man in the front of the room._

_“So...” he concluded, “I want your final potion decisions on my desk by the end of class. You have the rest of the time to work.” He then sat down at his desk and busied himself with paperwork; I could only guess it to be younger year’s assignments._

_“Watcha’ wan do then?” Ryland asked curiously, leaning on his hand looking bored._

_“What are the options?” I asked curiously, and the three turned to look at me oddly._

_“Oh, guess that bit is important,” Malfoy smirked, “The four potions are Amortentia, Felix Felicis, Veritaserum, and Polyjuice Potion. Since Polyjuice and Veritaserum both take about a month you choose one of the two and then choose between Amortentia and Felix Felicis since they both take around six months.”_

_“Oh, alright,” I said, nodding in agreement._

_“So let’s start with Veritaserum or Polyjuice,” Tom began diplomatically, pulling out a piece of parchment and wetting his quill with a small, seemingly portable ink canister._

_“Well, if it’s all the same to you lot I’d prefer Veritaserum over Polyjuice,” I shrugged, trying not to appear pushy._

_“Why?” Ryland asked curiously._

_“I made Polyjuice in my second year, and I’d much rather brew Veritaserum as I understand it to be quite challenging.”_

_“Second year?” Riddle asked in disbelief, his eyes wide in wonder and disbelief causing me to falter._

_“You really are rather brilliant aren’t you,” Malfoy added with a grin._

_“Veritaserum it is then,” Riddle finalized, writing it in an elegant script along the parchment, “Next: Amortentia or Felix Felicis?”_

_“You brew either of those?” Ryland asked with a raised eyebrow._

_“I haven’t, no,” I confirmed, “Either would be satisfactory to me.”_

_“I prefer Felix Felicis myself,” Riddle commented, “Matters of the heart matter little to me while luck may be of use. Plus, we’ve all smelled Amortentia last year if you lot remember.”_

_“Yes,” they agreed._

_“Unless Ms. Macmillan is seeking to make some unsuspecting man fall for her I vote for Felix Felicis.”_

_“You’ve caught me,” I smirked, causing the boys to falter._

_“I’ve spent seven years getting O’s in Potions all for this moment, so that I can make Amortentia and make some unsuspecting bloke fall for me,” at their faltering looks I couldn’t help the laugh that spilled over my lips, “Put me down for Felix Felicis you dolts.”_

_They smiled half-heartedly and slightly uncomfortably but nodded in agreement and finalized the paper, Riddle placing all our names on it and taking it up to Slughorn who looked it over and agreed before eying their table in surprise and following Riddle back._

_“It seems I’ve missed you my dear,” Professor Slughorn exclaimed surprised as he eyed me curiously, he outstretched his hand and a smile stretched across his plump face, “I’m Professor Horace Slughorn and you are…”_

_“Myone Macmillan,” I responded, standing and taking his hand, shaking it firmly to show that I was someone worth his time. Since women were now apparently second class citizens perhaps getting into the Slug Club wasn’t the worst thing to aspire to._

_“Ahh a Macmillan, wonderful family, any relation to Pyfus Macmillan?”_

_“Not that I know of sir,” I replied, though I reassured him with a quick, “But we could be, we are a rather large brood.”_

_“That you are,” he agreed before turning to the rest of my table, “And you chose not a better group of lads anywhere. These boys will be sure to keep you on the right path, won’t you boys?”_

_“Yes,” they assured with a quick nod._

_“Now, settle in and finish up your papers. Ms. Macmillan we are writing papers on the four potions: their properties, uses, history, ingredients, etc. I believe the boys can tell you the potions we will be studying this year.”_

_“They’ve already informed me professor and I’m already quite familiar with all four.”_

_“Excellent,” he smiled, “I hope to see excellent marks from you then.” I nodded and he turned his back to the group, trotting back off to his desk and settling in; the room having nothing above a low mumbling of conversation throughout the rest of the class period._

_When class was over, Tom introduced me to fellow Gryffindor and Potion’s class member Casp_ _ar_ _Crouch and informed him that he was to take me to Charms as it was a class that almost all Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs shared. Tom hadn’t really given him a chance to decline the invitation but_ _Caspar_ _had been cordial and friendly on the walk to Charms before going his separate way and sitting with a red haired boy I’d recognized from Potions (also in Gryffindor) and a couple of Hufflepuffs._

 _I sat beside Margaret as she had enthusiastically waved me over and patted the seat beside_ _hers_ _. I took it but I could tell that the girl was quite studious as she refused to talk with me throughout all of class and even shushed me when I attempted to ask a question. Good Godric, was I really that annoying? No wonder the other girls couldn’t stand me. Otherwise the class was rather mundane and seemed to be just as I expected seventh year charms to be, though the textbook was a few…decades older._

_After Charms was lunch and I walked with Margaret and Elspeth who had sat two rows behind me with a girl named Lilou Selwyn. Lilou was apparently another of my roommates along with Elspeth, Margaret, and another girl named Lindou. Margaret was already discussing her homework for Charms but I learned that she hadn’t had a class first period. Apparently most of the girls at Hogwarts only had four or five classes and rather than put up a fight like I was itching to do I decided to let it go. Hopefully I’d be going home in a few hours and it wouldn’t matter, besides, times change and progress happens; I just couldn’t believe I’d never read about the unequal treatment in Hogwarts: A History._

_After lunch was Transfiguration with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It also seemed that I’d be sharing Transfiguration with the three terrors (as Margaret called them). They had been more than willing to walk me to class when we’d met up during lunch and the three were laughing and joking down the hallway on the way to class._

_“You should’ve seen ol’ Malfoy’s face when it hit him,” Norbert laughed loudly, slapping his knee as he told his story._

_“What’id it do Nobbs?” Greyback laughed, his eyes tearing up._

_“His hair was coated in red and gold slime that dripped down his robes,” Charlus supplied with a laugh._

_“But you wanna know that best part,” Norbert added, laughing harder with each second, “The force of the explosion caused some of the slime to hit Riddle and his girl squad was squacking and screaming and trying to clean him off with their girly cleaning charms but they were just making it worse and he was getting so angry at them.”_

_By now all three were doubled over, no longer moving toward Transfiguration and just laughing, leaning against the wall for support as they continued to laugh on at their prank on Malfoy and Riddle. I couldn’t help but sigh and roll my eyes at them…though the prank wasn’t all that original it was still slightly funny; though I was a bit confused by the term girl squad._

_Since I’d been in the 40's I’d never seen Riddle or Malfoy surrounded by girls; though it wouldn’t surprise me that those three would exaggerate, as they seemed to be a bit…enthusiastic; though they did remind me of the stories Professor Lupin told me about the Marauders._

_We did finally make it to class; though we were ten minutes late and it cost 40 points to Gryffindor which caused a bit of a glare from the rest of the Gryffindors in class. I could tell that Professor Dumbledore hadn’t been happy to take the points away but had done so none-the-less._

_I spotted Margaret off at the front of the room but she had someone sitting beside her already that I suspected to be Elspeth on one side and Lilou on the other. Chocking that up to a no-go and not desiring to be sitting next to any of the three boys that just made me loose house points on my first day, I decided to try and meet some new people and sat beside a few strange boys with Ravenclaw ties at a table near the front of the class._

_“Hi,” I whispered, setting my things onto the table and settling into the chair._

_“Your late,” the boy replied, his black hair pulled behind his head with a ribbon, his face slightly tired looking and gaunt, though there was still a hint of a grin on his face when I glared at him,_

_“Thank you, I wasn’t aware.”_

_“Always happy to help,” he responded sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and began taking notes over what Professor Dumbledore was saying, ignoring the boy; so much for inter-house unity._

_“My name’s Salvatore,” he said a few minutes later, when the Professor had taken a five minutes break to allow the students to stretch their legs from the double period._

_“I wasn’t aware that I’d asked,” I responded, not making eye contact and continuing to doodle into the edges of my parchment, rewetting my quill every so often._

_“You’re a cheeky little thing aren’t you?” he said with a grin, “Though I guess you’d have to be to hang out with Malfoy and Riddle…joining the Green and Silver love patrol are you?”_

_That caused me to look up and I ground out angrily, “Excuse me?”_

_“Well I couldn’t help but notice that you’d certainly made yourself comfortable with their little circle, certainly faster than any of the others in their little fan club, but they’re not really all that interested in feminine whiles, they have grand expectations for their futures and you won’t get in their way.”_

_“Who says I’m trying to,” I challenged rather angrily, my fists finding my hips in annoyance, “They were kind to me and I talked to them; that was all. There was no feminine whiles or interest or anything of the sort and I’m rather insulted that you would assume that to be the case.”_

_“Umm…” he faltered a bit, but I continued to glare up at him._

_“What? Not sure what to say now,” I all but growled, “You just met me and you make these grand assumptions and now that I challenge them, you don’t know how to respond. I think it would be best if you just minded your own damn business.” Then in a grumbled whisper that I said loud enough for him to hear, “For a Ravenclaw you sure aren’t very smart.”_

_He mumbled under his breath for a bit before turning to the boy beside him, also a Ravenclaw who I noticed out of the corner of my eye had brown hair and a superior smirk who responded, “Walked into that one mate.”_

_“Shut up Lyall.”_

_The rest of class went rather quietly after that. I frowned as Professor Dumbledore dismissed us as I had one class left for the evening - Traditional Studies._


	9. The Joy of Traditionals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for Traditional Studies. And you just know that Hermione is going to really enjoy that, or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own Manners and Rules of Good Society which is quoted

_I’d just about made it to the doors of the Transfiguration classroom when Professor Dumbledore’s voice stopped me, “Ms. Macmillan?”_

_I spun on my heels and turned to the man, “Yes professor?”_

_“I was just inquiring as to how your first day has been going?” he smiled, taking the abandoned seat closest to me and motioning for me to take the one beside him, “I am your head of house after all. I am simply curious as to your well being…that and you were late to my class.”_

_“Well your boys tend to goof off; I followed the wrong three to class.”_

_“Perhaps,” he added, his eyes shining behind his glasses causing me to grin. I couldn’t help the rush of feelings I felt for the long missed headmaster of Hogwarts but I knew I had to maintain control of my feelings to ensure that I didn’t give too much away. Albus Dumbledore knew more than he should as it was and I wasn’t about to contribute. He suddenly interrupted my thoughts, “You seem quite distracted my dear, a sickle…”_

_“What?” I asked confused and startled._

_“A sickle for your thoughts my dear,” he finished, smiling as he placed a hand on my shoulder, “No matter, we shall talk of how you are acclimating at a later date; off to class with you. Late to two lessons in a row won’t do.”_

_“Agreed,” I nodded, standing from the chair and turning to him, “It was nice to see you professor, I hope we can meet at a later date.” Despite what I’d told him, I was hoping that we would not, in fact, be able to meet. I was very much looking forward to going to the library later that evening and getting home by tonight. I’d make up with Ron, tell Malfoy and Harry about their Grandfathers and move on. It was a good plan and I was greatly looking forward to it._

_“You better run dear if you want to make it on time,” Professor Dumbledore advised, “What class do you have?”_

_“Traditional Studies,” I replied, all but cringing as I said it aloud. I was half tempted to skip it and go straight to the library to start my search early but I didn’t need anyone looking for me and if I was completely honest, I was a bit interested in what was important to pureblooded girls in the 1940’s._

_“Fifth Floor between the Music and Art classrooms,” he informed me and I nodded, “Room 5D. Hurry now.” Thanking him one final time, I grabbed my bag and bolted from the classroom. I knew I was going to be late. I was on the first floor and needed to get to the fifth floor; it would have been a close call even if I’d had all the allotted time but with the conversation with Professor Dumbledore I was even further behind. I sighed and rubbed my temple with my thumb and forefinger, I needed to hurry._

_I’d made it to the Grand Staircase and was halfway between second and third when I spotted a young boy looking up at a couple of the different portraits in amazement and clearly not paying attention. I couldn’t help but pause to stare at him as I felt the staircase begin to move and adjust, the boy continuing upward unperturbed. My eyes widened as I realized that if he continued at his current pace he was going to walk right off the end of the stairs. It was already November, even if this boy was a 1 st year he should still know to pay attention to the staircases by now. Suddenly alert, I bolted up the staircase, desperate to reach the boy who was about to plummet to his death._

_“Watch out,” I shouted, grabbing the boy by the back of his robes and holding him back as the staircase continued on its way, the boy’s foot already dangling over the edge, his hat falling from his head and disappearing into the abyss below. He lept back in fright, knocking into me and sending us both tumbling down the rest of the flight and onto the landing below. I groaned as I righted myself and helped the boy to his feet._

_“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he cried out excitedly, he was crying and definitely frightened as he gripped my robes desperately, “You’re the greatest.” I finally managed to extricate him from myself as I replied,_

_“Constant vigilance; what year are you?”_

_“First year,” the boy shrugged, and I noted that he had on a Gryffindor tie, “I know that Potter told us to look out for the moving staircases but I didn’t think they would move while we were on them.”_

_“Well, you must always be aware of your surroundings if you want to do well here,” I lectured the boy._

_“Constant vigilance?” the boy replied, restating my earlier phrase._

_“Yes,” I nodded, “What’s your name?”_

_“Alastor Moody,” the boy spouted off proudly, “What’s yours?”_

_“Myone Macmillan,” I replied with a smile, shaking his hand, “Where you headed?”_

_“Flying,” he replied._

_“Like on a broom?” I asked astounded. He nodded, “You’re going in the wrong direction. Flying would happen on the ground and you’re going up the stairs to the third floor, you need to go back down.”_

_“Hah, your right!” Alastor smiled, “I didn’t get much sleep last night, the other boys talkin’ and gossipin’ like ruddy girls. You’re a life saver; thanks Ms. Macmillan, I’ll be seein’ you, yeah?”_

_“I look forward to it,” I smiled, nodding my head in his direction as he took off down the stairs. I was about to continue up to the fifth floor when I heard a shout from somewhere down below. I ran to the railing and looked down for Moody, assuming he’d walked off the edge of one of the staircases again but he hadn’t, in fact, he was frantically waving his hand in the air to get my attention. I called down to him, “What?”_

_“I said, ‘Constant Vigilance; that’s gonna to be my new phrase’!” he repeated before turning and running down the rest of the rest of the way and disappearing down a corridor. I smiled, the Future Auror sure had a long way to go._

_I couldn’t help but reflect on what had just happened as I continued on my way to class, my mind racing. I’d just said Constant Vigilance to Alastor Moody, that might have been where he’d first heard it, I may have just changed the future by saying that, but since I learned it from him he would’ve heard it from me if he was supposed to but if I wasn’t supposed to go back in time than he wouldn’t have heard it from me so then the way he would have originally heard it would have been another way which would now have been changed because he’d heard it from me but…oh I was going to give myself a head ache doing this round-a-bout. I just needed to get through this last class and get to the library so I could get out of here._

_I quickly found the door and pulled it open, grabbing the only empty seat and settling in quickly while the elderly woman’s back was turned. From the back I could tell she was elderly because her hair was stark grey and she had it in a bouffant that I could tell was no longer in fashion even in this time. She was fiddling around with something on the table and I was glad to have come in at that moment to avoid losing more house points._

_“10 points from Gryffindor for your tardy Ms. Macmillan. It is one thing to arrive fashionably late but quite another to be tardy.” The woman spun around and stared at me hard. I could tell that she had been beautiful in her day but had since grown weary with age._

_“My apologies, Pro…”_

_“Mrs. Black,” she replied curtly, “Violetta Black.” I wished I’d known my Black family tree better now.   I’d looked at it a bit since Harry had inherited the manor but I hadn’t cared much for the Black family as a whole, now though I wished to know how all these people interconnected. How did this woman relate to Sirius…how did she relate to Teddy for that matter…or did she not relate at all…I was definitely going to pay more attention when I got home to family trees and family histories._

_“It would be prudent to learn more about your teachers and fellow students before attending classes but as you are a Durmstrang transfer I shall forgive you this once. Ms. Macmillan when should a gentlemen raise his hat to a lady?”_

_I froze, what? How the bloody hell should I know when a bloke should raise his damn hat. Oh god, I…I don’t know the answer. I feel like Harry sitting in Professor Snape’s class first year only this is even more embarrassing. We are seventh years. We’re supposed to know this. I’m supposed to know this… “I…”_

_“I’m waiting Ms. Macmillan.”_

_“I…”_

_“Bow…when you bow,” a voice whispered from beside me and I glanced over to see a Slytherin girl with long beautiful black hair whisper, “lady…bows.”_

_“Um…When…when a lady bows?”_

_“Ms. Macmillan. I find many things wrong with your answer,” Professor Black responded with a huff, moving toward me quite quickly, “First you did not answer my question directly and promptly, second, you stuttered and refused eye contact, third, your answer was incomplete, and fourth, you made your answer a question rather than a statement. Are you asking me Ms. Macmillan, or telling me?”_

_“Telling you,” I responded quickly and without a moment’s hesitation._

_“Good,” she answered, “Perhaps there is hope for you yet.”   She turned her back on me and make her way back towards the front of the room, “Now everyone open your books and begin reading the chapter on walking.”_

_A chapter on walking? What hogwash. I turned to the girl beside me and smiled, “Thanks.”_

_“No problem,” she responded, “Madam Black is a bit…harsh you could say. My name is Ottilie Macnair.”_

_“Myone Macmillan,” I responded, shaking her hand and smiling, “How do you like this class?”_

_“I don’t mind it,” she shrugged, “Gets me out of the common room and away from some of the more bland girls.”_

_“I didn’t realize you needed to talk to read now,” Madam Black stated loudly from the front of the room causing both of us to look down at our books quickly, our cheeks turning scarlet in embarrassment._

_I eyed the book in fury and distaste; I couldn’t wait to get out of here._

**The Usual Hours for Walking in the Park are from 9 until 10.30 a.m. The hours for afternoon walking and sitting in the Park are from 4 to 7 p.m. during the summer months.**

**The fashionable hours for walking in the Park on Sunday are from 1 to 2 p.m., both in winter and summer; and from 5 to 7 p.m. in the summer months.**

**Married ladies can, if they please, walk out unaccompanied or unattended in places of public resort in town or on the parades of fashionable watering-places; but married ladies, especially if they are young, usually prefer the society of another lady, not so much, perhaps, for propriety as for companionship, as to walk alone, either in town or at fashionable watering-places, renders a lady more or less conspicuous, especially if she is attractive and well dressed.**

**A young lady can now also walk by herself in the Park for the purpose of joining her friends and acquaintances, both in the morning and in the afternoon, but she should not sit alone.**

**Again, young ladies may walk alone in the fashionable streets, but they should not loiter when alone at shop-windows as they pass, but walk at a quick pace from shop to shop, or from street to street.**

**In the quiet neighborhoods of towns, suburban towns, and watering-places, young ladies walk unaccompanied and unattended to visit their friends residing in the near vicinity of their homes, or to attend classes, or for the purpose of shopping, etc. Indeed, great independence is generally accorded in this respect, the line being drawn at evening hours—that is to say, at walking alone after dusk.**

**At watering-places, and at all public promenades, it is usual for gentlemen to join ladies with whom they are acquainted, and to walk with them for a short time when it is apparent that their company is desired, but not otherwise.**

**Ladies and gentlemen, whether related or not, should never walk arm-in-arm, unless the lady is an elderly one, or an invalid, and requires this support.**

_I finished the last sentence in shock. Just this morning Malfoy walked me to class holding my arm. Did he assume that I was an invalid. Ugh. I was furious, what a prat. I was going to kill him. What if one of the other pureblooded girls saw us or Merlin forbid Madam Black, I would’ve been outed for sure. What if he was testing me and me taking his arm proved that I wasn’t a pureblood or some other such nonsense. I growled under my breath before realizing that this class was ridiculous. This entire situation was stupid._

_I lived in a tent for six months with two smelly boys who farted and wanked when they thought I was sleeping and I was still chaste or whatever. They didn’t sully me or any other such nonsense. All of these rules about going out after dark were ridiculous they weren’t to help a lady because she was so fragile and delicate; it was because Grindelwald was dangerous or because Voldemort and the Death Eaters were killing people like crazy. What did being a lady have to do with anything._

_“Alright class, now, last week I had you read about ‘At Home’ days and today we shall discuss what that means and what days you feel are best. Now obviously you can’t all have the same ‘At Home’ days and seeing as many of you will become ladies of society all at once it is now best to set your day so as to avoid as much confliction as possible._

_“Now: what is an ‘At Home’ day?” I half expected Margaret to raise her hand before remembering that she was a Muggleborn and that she couldn’t be in this class and seeing as I didn’t know the answer I couldn’t very well raise my hand._

_“An ‘At Home’ day signifies that a lady is at home to her friends and acquaintances on one particular day in the week. She should intimate this fact by printing upon her visiting cards the days on which she is at home. Thus: ‘Thursdays in March,’ or ‘Thursdays in March and April,’ or any day of the week she thinks proper to name. These cards she should leave in person on those who are not at home when she calls, or they can be sent by post. Those she finds at home she should inform that her ‘at home’ day is ‘Thursday.’ She should not leave her visiting card in this case, only two of her husband's cards, and the ‘at home’ day should not be written upon them,” a girl in the front row answered and I noticed that she was a Ravenclaw. Her answer sounded like a book answer. That sounded like something I would answer. I was considered incredibly smart by the teachers for my book answers and knowing the correct answers but here I didn’t stand out all that much. It seemed that there were already many others who knew the answers word for word from the books already. If I didn’t want to go home before, I did now._

_“Thank you Tempest,” Madam Black responded. She didn’t even give her points for her answer. I really needed to get home now._

_“And when are the appropriate hours to call on an ‘at home’ day?”_

_“Calls should be made from three to six, or from four to six. The first comers should leave before the afternoon tea hour and should limit their call according to the degree of intimacy existing, remaining from a quarter of an hour to an hour,” the Slytherin girl a row in front of me answered._

_“Adequate, Gertrude. Thank you,” she responded. Adequate…adequate…oh God. This place was going to kill me. No amount of studying alive could prepare me for this class._

_“Now between you and the lady beside you, you shall discuss the best days for ‘at home’ days and when best to decide your ‘at home’ days…now discuss,” she shooed settling at her desk and pouring herself a cup of tea._

_I turned to Ottilie and smiled, she smiled back; at least she seemed pleasant. “So,” she began, “What’s your favorite day’s for ‘at home’?”_

_“I don’t know,” I shrugged, answering honestly, “Probably Sunday; that’s the only day I can think of that I’ll probably have off every week no matter what.”_

_“Off from what?” Ottilie replied curiously._

_“Work,” I replied, my eyebrows furrowing, slightly confused._

_“Shh,” she quickly whispered, hushing me, “You better not let Black hear you. A pureblooded lady working; I can just hear her now ‘But how would you raise the children and manage the house. It is improper for a lady to work outside of the house’.”_

_“I’ve only been in this class for less than an hour and I can already agree that I totally concur, that absolutely sounds like her,” I replied, snickering behind my hand._

_“And just what are you ladies laughing about?” Madam Black snarled from beside my desk, her eyes narrowed and arms crossed daintily._

_“Nothing Madam,” Ottilie was quick to assure._

_“Good,” she replied, shortly, “Group with the Carrow ladies and discuss days.” She pointed across the center aisle to two other girls wearing Sytherin robes, twins. I noticed Ottilie groan and knew that spelled trouble. When a Slytherin was groaning over talking to other Slytherins I knew it could only spell trouble. “A lady doesn’t groan,” Madam Black reminded her as we gathered our books and moved to the Carrow’s table where two more chairs had joined the ends of the tables, splitting us up._

_I grabbed the chair closest to the door, just in case, while Ottilie squeezed behind two Hufflepuffs’ backs and the Carrow’s table and sat on the other side._

_“We were just discussing our days of the week,” the girls said together, smiles on their faces._

_“Mine will be on Tuesday,” the one closest to me stated confidently._

_“While mine will be on Thursday,” the other added._

_“And every other month we’ll switch,” they concluded together. They had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes though they smiled in a sinister way that made them look unattractive and slightly demonic but knowing their relatives, the Death Eater Carrows, it didn’t surprise me much._

_“But won’t switching make it confusing?” I asked confused._

_“How so?” the one beside Ottilie asked._

_“Well your twins,” I stated, eying Ottilie who shrugged, “wouldn’t switching days when you look so similar confuse people on which day is which?”_

_“Of course not,” the one beside me assured with a wave of her hand, “Because I’ll be Mrs. Riddle…”_

_“…and I’ll be Mrs. Malfoy,” the other finished._

_“Or vice versa,” the supplied together, “We’re not picky.” I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows in disbelief. What was with these girls?_

_“I still don’t quite understand…” I began before trailing off and they waved their hands at me and rolled their eyes._

_“That’s all right,” they assured, “You seem kind of dim anyway but if you find a rich husband it won’t matter much, though Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Riddle are both taken.” I couldn’t help but blink rapidly as I tried to process what I just heard. Two girls that were about on the same wavelength as an old sock just informed me that I was dim and that I needed to find a rich husband to survive. Never did I miss Pavarti Patil or Lavender Brown more in this moment than right now. Merlin’s beard, I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out I was so embarrassed._

_“Sorry to insult you though,” the one closest to me smiled._

_“Yeah, no offense intended,” the other added._

_“Of course,” I lied, my teeth clenched together as I opened my book and began to read, I apparently had a lot of catching up to do._

_“What are you doing?” the Carrow beside me asked curiously._

_“Reading,” I responded haughtily, it was quite obvious after all, “I have a bit to catch up on, don’t want to be ‘dim’.”_

_“Of course, of course,” they agreed, nodding before going back to writing on their parchment. I could only assume they were doodling hearts with little Malfoys and Riddles inside._

_Class finished not long after I’d gotten through the chapter on giving presents and couldn’t help but wonder if Harry had been given a silver mug, fork, and spoon from Sirius as was apparently custom during a Christening. I’d have to look for that when I got back. I was sure that Harry would be interested in having that back if Sirius had, in fact, kept to tradition._

_Packing up the last of my things, I walked from the room and headed toward the library. I could eat dinner in the kitchens after I got home. Kreacher or Winky would make me something, I was sure of it._

_I’d made it just about to the library when I was stopped by three boys, but not the usual rowdy group of three. It was Malfoy, Riddle, and Yaxley…Ryland._

_“Ah, Ms. Macmillan we meet again,” Malfoy said with a smile._

_“If I didn’t know better I’d say you knew your way around this castle more than you let on,” Riddle said subtly with a raised brow, coming to stand beside me and turning me in the opposite direction._

_“I was just…” I began as they led me in the opposite direction._

_“It’s time for supper,” Ryland stated flatly, “You know that meal at the end of a long day.”_

_“I know what supper is,” I replied indignantly, “I was actually going to the library.”_

_“You seem to be very interested in the library,” Riddle replied curiously, “One might think you’re up to something.”_

_“Perhaps I just wish to study. Perhaps I just want high marks.”_

_“Perhaps,” he replied, with a shrug._

_“Well,” Malfoy smiled, “Off we go then.” They then began to lead me toward the Great Hall and I relented. Apparently the library would be an after dinner endeavor._

_“So where were you coming from?” Ryland asked curiously._

_“Traditional Studies,” I replied with clear distaste in my voice._

_“Ahh,” Ryland nodded, “Oh course. Though I get the feeling you didn’t enjoy it. Most of the girls I know like that class best. They say it’s the most challenging and she teaches them the most they can use in the real world.”_

_“Who told you that?” I asked in disbelief._

_“My sister,” he shrugged, sheepishly, “But she really did say it helped her. When she got married she said that class saved her life. Apparently her mother-in-law was a real harpy.”_

_“Oh,” I nodded, that made sense then._

_“So how was it?” Malfoy asked curiously, “We don’t talk to a lot of girls, so that’s one of the classes we blokes don’t know much about.”_

_“Apparently neither do I,” I answered rather disdainfully._

_“What do you mean?” Riddle asked curiously._

_“Well I was informed that I was ‘dim’ today in Traditional Studies,” I ground out, embarrassed to have shared that with the Dark Lord._

_“Who said that?” Malfoy questioned curiously, trying to stifle a laugh._

_“Those Carrow girls,” I replied, my nose crinkling on its own accord._

_“Ohhh,” they all replied together making me laugh a bit._

_“You know they’ve dubbed themselves Mrs. Riddle and Mrs. Malfoy right?”_

_“Doesn’t surprise me,” Ryland smirked, “Though it does amuse me greatly. They’ve been keen on them for years.”_

_“Really?” I smirked, eying their less than pleased looks._

_“Oh shut it,” Malfoy grumbled._

_“Oh come on Malfoy,” I smiled as he looked at me curiously, “They’ve got the hots for you.”_

_“The what?” he asked furrowing his brow._

_“Nothing,” I responded embarrassed, “Nevermind.” They continued to stare at me expectantly, “Oh shut up you prats. We’re here. I’m leaving.” Storming off to the Gryffindor table and fighting with the bustles of my skirts again as I tried to sit on the bench before giving up and sitting side saddle, I sighed; good enough. Just get through this meal Hermione. Just get through this meal and you’ll be on your way home._

_I looked over at the Slytherin table and eyed the three boys. Ryland seemed to be casually talking to two other Slytherins that I didn’t recognize while Malfoy was spooning potatoes onto his plate and blatantly ignoring the girl waving toward him from just down the table. Riddle on the other hand seemed to be staring right back at me as though trying to penetrate my soul and my body froze. He didn’t know Legilimency already did he? Oh Godric._

_I don’t think I can stand being here much longer._


	10. And the Slytherin Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after the first meeting between Myone, Tom, and Abraxas according to Brax

“I think I might be able to explain that actually,” Abraxas stated suddenly, pulling everyone from the story; Draco still shoveling food into his mouth as he looked up at his Grandfather curiously.

“What?” he asked, his mouth full of food.

“For all that you say about Ron and the Weasleys Draco; you sure do resemble him right now with food hanging out of your mouth while you’re attempting to talk,” his Grandmother responded with a smirk.

He glared at her but didn’t dare say a word at the moment. As lame as it sounded (even to himself), he really was interested in this story and didn’t want to piss her off so much that she refused to tell him anything more which was a definite possibility. She may have the patience of a Grandmother but she was still Granger and Granger had no patience.

“Well obviously Brax, I know now that he didn’t know Legilimency at the time,” Myone responded flatly turning to eye her husband with a roll of her eyes.

“Thank you wife,” he responded in kind, “I just meant that I can give you the Slytherin side of the coin if you want.” He was now staring directly at Draco. Clearly this whole conversation was for his benefit anyway, “That way you can see why we bothered talking to her in the first place.” Draco nodded as he pondered the thought, seemingly interested.

“Now,” Abraxas warned, “I’ll have to go back a bit.”

“Back a bit?” Draco questioned confused.

“Back to when Tom and I first discussed Myone and move on from there,” he elaborated. Draco nodded, agreeing to the terms.

Abraxas inclined his head in turn with a smile and began,

_I was sitting in the Slytherin common room working on my Transfiguration assignment when I heard Goyle and Crabbe laughing hysterically about Potter and Leach barreling into one another out on the Quidditch Pitch just a bit before. It seemed that they found it so amusing that they couldn’t think straight; though part of me suspected that they were never able to think at all. I knew that they were just hoping that the Gryffindor team would be forced to forfeit due to their newly injured players._

_“It seems Ms. Macmillan will have guests when we visit her next,” a voice stated flatly from beside me, a quill scratching hastily across a roll of parchment._

_“What?” I found myself asking blankly, eying Tom curiously from my spot beside him._

_“Well, it would seem that when we go see Ms. Macmillan later, the Gryffindor hot heads will be there as well.”_

_“Oh,” I answered, realizing what he was indicating with a sigh. While we didn’t particularly hate Gryffindor as a house, many of the Slytherins found that the Gryffindors were too brash, crass, and obstinate for their own good; typically making their lives more difficult and making enemies for themselves unnecessarily. Most of the male seventh year Slytherins had a particular animosity toward Leach, Greyback, and Potter however. Those three seemed to think that they were untouchable, and in their Head of House, Dumbledore’s eyes, they practically were._

_The interest I had in the odd new girl was diminishing with the prospect of having to interact with the idiots and I tried to focus on his assignment on Chameleon Transfiguration and the complications that arise within its color changing abilities and how it affects that which it is transfigured into._

_Tom suddenly sat up from his previously hunched over and concentrating state to look over at me and glare, “I don’t think she came from Durmstrang.”_

_“What?” I asked confused. It wasn’t unusual that I lost track of Tom’s thought process as he sometimes said what came to mind without proper background._

_“Ms. Macmillan,” he replied, turning to look at me, seemingly simply to roll his eyes, before turning back to his parchment, “I don’t believe that she is a student from Durmstrang at all. It would seem that she is hiding something.”_

_“And how did you manage to come to that conclusion?” I asked flatly, knowing that he was going to tell me whether I asked or not. Tom seemed to enjoy telling me how he figured something out and showing off his brilliance._

_“Easily,” Tom replied confidently, “I already talked with Madam Oxkin while you were picking out that transfiguration book and she told me that no girl fitting Ms. Macmillan’s description had come into the library at all…ever. Which leads me to the conclusion that she either snuck past Oxkin, which we all know is nearly impossible, or that she apparated in which is equally so. Either way, she was trying to be sneaky. Then when you were carrying her I noticed that her uniform, despite being ‘Hogwarts’ style, wasn’t actually anything I’d ever seen a Hogwarts student wear and when you adjusted her in the hallway I couldn’t help but notice that her skirt wasn’t floor length but showed past her knee.”_

_“Wait…what?” I asked confused. When I’d carried her, she’d been wearing her robes and I guess I hadn’t noticed, but the idea that Tom, whose interest in women was practically nonexistent, noticed the length of her skirt, was astounding. “You noticed how long her skirt was?”_

_“It isn’t nearly as big of a deal as you seem to be making it out to be,” Tom shrugged, dabbing his quill in a bit of ink as he continued to scroll along his parchment._

_“You were looking at her skirt?”_

_“No,” he replied harshly, “And you’re missing the point, I’m saying that she isn’t from here. She’s lying about being from Durmstrang and I want to know who she really is and how she knows what she knows.”_

_“What does she know?”_

_“Nothing, never mind,” he immediately shut up and I realized I wasn’t going to get anything else from him. Sighing, I went back to my transfiguration homework and got busy; it was almost time for supper._

_We finished with our homework just in time for supper it seemed. “Planning to eat with the rest of us, there mate?” a voice called from across the room._

_I looked up at the black haired, grey eyed, Alphard Black and nodded, “In a bit.”_

_“Food’ll be gone in a bit,” Ryland responded, letting himself land heavily on the couch cushion beside mine and jostling my roll of parchment and book that I had balanced on my knees._

_“The food won’t be gone,” I replied with a sneer directed towards the man._

_“Can you take this inane conversation elsewhere while I finish this assignment,” Tom stated annoyed._

_We smiled at Tom but didn’t say a word against him, we knew better than to anger the man, he was the most powerful wizard here at Hogwarts and no one in Slytherin wanted to be on his bad side; whether that was the self-preservation of a Slytherin or the common sense of a human we weren’t entirely sure._

_It seemed that Tom was just about finished with his assignment anyway as he signed his name at the end of his parchment, fanned it for a moment with his hand, and then allowed it to roll in on itself. He capped his ink and packed away his belongings, leaving them on the couch in the common room as though to dare someone to touch them; no one would._

_The four of us walked together to the Great Hall, talking amicably to ourselves as we went. “Got an owl from my Mum this morning,” Alphard sighed, his face resigned._

_“What’d she say Alphard?” Tom asked curiously._

_“Talked about signing a marriage contract,” Alphard replied miserably._

_“Who’s the lucky lady,” Ryland smirked, knowing how much Alphard hated this._

_“Gertrude Flint,” he grumbled under his breath miserably._

_“Ohhh,” I couldn’t help but mutter, “Too bad mate.” Gertrude Flint was not easy on the eyes or the ears. She was a seventh year Slytherin who had been known to break a silencing charm with her high pitched whine of a voice. She had long sleek black hair, fathomless pit black eyes, and teeth that appeared as though she’d chewed through metal bars as a child. There had been times when we’d watch her eat in disbelief that she was able to get the food into her mouth._

_Finding our seats in the Great Hall, I watched Al hang his head in defeat as he eyed the girl struggle to put a sausage in her mouth from a bit of a ways down the table, “I really am sorry mate.”_

_“Yeah, thanks,” he ground out bitterly._

_“Hi Mr. Malfoy,” a girl’s voice called out from a bit down the table with a smile, I glanced in her direction which only seemed to cause her to blush, wave in what I assumed she thought was an adorable manner, and turn to her friends who congratulated her over something before they all giggled. I didn’t recognize her so I suspected that she was probably younger than a fifth year as most of the fifth, sixth, and seventh years had all introduced themselves to me._

_Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Riddle,” I heard the Carrow girls call from the other side of Ryland and Alphard who smirked at our disdainful expressions. The girls didn’t seem to notice. The Carrow girls, I didn’t bother to learn their names, were probably two of the stupidest girls I’d ever met. They’d failed all their OWL’s twice and were supposed to have graduated two years prior. The rumor they started was that they were waiting for Tom and I so that we’d be in the same year so we could be the same age; that was how stupid they were. There was no doubt in my mind that they failed because they were idiots, not because they were ‘waiting’ for us._

_Once Tom and I finished our meal I grabbed an extra serving for the new Macmillan girl and we excused ourselves, telling the others we had to stop by the Infirmary though not telling the others exactly why. Tom still suspected that she was hiding something and though I wasn’t sure one way or the other, I didn’t really want to share her with Black and Yaxley yet if I didn’t have to._

_We’d made it just inside the doors of the Hospital Wing when I heard the obnoxious voice of Leach call out, “We may starve.” After that ridiculous comment, we heard both boys burst into laughter, though I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed that it halted as they noticed Tom and I._

_“Malfoy,” Leach stated with a frown, his nose wrinkled up in disdain._

_“Leach,” I replied in an equally friendly manner, “I see your practice for the game on Saturday went well.”_

_“It won’t matter,” Norbert replied, “We’ll still win come Saturday.”_

_“That I would very much like to see,” I replied with a sarcastic smile. We continued to glare between ourselves until the sound of stomach hunger interrupted the awkward silence. I glanced around for the source and spotted Macmillan eying the tray of food in my arms longingly so I set off towards to her and set it atop her lap._

_“I assume you haven’t eaten yet,” I stated casually, taking a step back to give her room to eat._

_“No, I haven’t….um, thank you.”_

_“Not a problem,” I answered._

_“What about ours?” Potter asked suddenly, faking a pout and looking ridiculous._

_“I believe it’d be where it’s supposed to be; the Great Hall,” Tom replied; making it the first thing he’d said since he arrived and making me smirk._

_“Oh, but Tom, I thought we were such great friends,” Potter responded sarcastically._

_“It would appear you were wrong,” Tom huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes, “Now if you would move along it would be greatly appreciated.”_

_“What for?” Norbert questioned, raising an eyebrow._

_“We have some things to discuss with Ms. Macmillan here,” I responded, grabbing a discarded chair from the wall and moving it to her bedside before sitting myself into it gracefully._

_“What could you possibly have to discuss with her?” Leach bristled, “I’m a prefect for Gryffindor, I’m sure I could handle whatever needs to be discussed.”_

_“And I am head boy,” Tom reminded him, “I have precedence. Now, I believe you were planning to head to the Great Hall for supper?”_

_The boys grumbled to themselves, but got up; Potter letting Leach use his good shoulder for leverage as he limped from the Infirmary, the doors closing almost silently behind them._

_Tom seemed quite pleased that they were gone and turned to the girl with a smile as he asked casually, “Now, where were we?”_

_“Um, I…I don’t know,” she said nervously, glancing down at the food and frowning. It was odd to see someone so nervous around Tom. Everyone was usually so taken with him…well other than Dumbledore but Tom didn’t particularly like him either. Perhaps the girl really was hiding something._

_I noticed her look at the food longingly but not make a move toward it. “Eat it,” I encouraged, “It won’t bite.”_

_“I have some questions for you,” Tom continued, moving toward her and sitting himself at the foot of her bed.   She looked annoyed and I had to fight the laugh that threatened to erupt._

_“Ms. Macmillan, I have some serious questions for you that I expect to have answered immediately,” Tom began, not waiting for an answer as he continued, “I happen to know for a fact that you did not previously attend Durmstrang before coming to this institution. You do not have the coloring of someone who attended there as all the others do, nor the accent, or the demeanor.”_

_I glanced over at the girl, her eyes appeared to be glazed over, she wasn’t paying attention; I stifled a smirk, Tom wasn’t going to be happy._

_“Not only that but you somehow managed to get in without Madam Oxkin’s notice which tells me that you were trying to sneak in. You wouldn’t need to sneak into the library unless you had something to hide; what are you hiding? Don’t think I won’t figure it out. I can figure out anything. I am considered the brightest student at Hogwarts and if you think-”_

_“She’s not paying attention mate,” I finally interrupted before he went further into his tirade._

_“What?” Tom asked, turning to look at me before settling his gaze on her to see that it was true, she really wasn’t paying attention at all. “Are you even listening?” Tom asked annoyed before suddenly thumping her lightly on the leg closest to him causing her to jump, still in the confines of her blanket._

_“What?” she gasped, the food on her tray spilling all over the blankets at her sudden movement._

_Tom jumped up and away from her, alarmed. I couldn’t stop the snicker under my breath at the entire situation despite the glare thrown my way by Tom. We suddenly turned in fascination as the girl moved her hand over her lap and all the remnants of the mess vanished from the blankets and the tray, leaving everything brilliantly clean.   If I didn’t know any better I’d suspect that it was a Scourgify which was not a usual feminine cleaning charm; besides the fact that I wasn’t aware birds were even learning to perform wandless magic let along something nonverbal. That was quite advanced. I spared a glance toward Tom to see he clearly thought the same._

_“Did you just preform wandless nonverbal magic?” Tom asked in amazement. I noticed her look up at him alarmed; as though she hadn’t even realized it. She was performing wandless nonverbal magic in such great quantities that it didn’t even cross her notice; amazing._

_“Um…” she stuttered out._

_“Because I know only a few spells wandlessly and even fewer wandlessly_ and _nonverbally and all of the professors say that I’m incredibly advanced.”_

_“Um, I was considered quite advanced at Durmstrang,” she replied. Clearly she hadn’t been listening. He already knew she hadn’t gone to Durmstrang._

_We seemed to settle into an awkward silence in which the two us just seemed to stare at her when she suddenly interrupted with, “What?”_

_“Nothing,” Tom was quick to assure, “It’s just…well…”_

_“Most of the pure-blooded girls here aren’t very concerned with being great witches,” I finished._

_She looked mad at that which was confusing…was it not the same at Durmstrang…from what I understood it was even worse there. Tom’s theory about her not being from Scandinavia was looking more and more likely, but if she wasn’t from there, where was she from?_

_“That’s not to say you can’t,” I quickly corrected, not wanting to anger her too much in our first real conversation, “It’s just that with the limited career options for women, most pureblooded girls at Hogwarts don’t concern themselves with the prospect of careers.”_

_The angry look on her face melted away as though she was trying not to argue. She then nodded and commented diplomatically, “So…what were we talking about?”_

_“Ahh yes,” Tom stated with a cough, “We were actually just wondering some general things about you. Nothing too serious or anything; it’s just that it’s not every day that we meet a witch in the way we met you.” It seemed that Tom was changing his tactics, perhaps the direct approach of demanding the truth wasn’t the best way of going about it with her; I couldn’t help but agree._

_“You mean, collapsed under a pile of books in the library,” she replied, a hint of a smile gracing her lips; we simply nodded in agreement._

_“Yeah,” Tom replied._

_“So you’re in Gryffindor then?” I questioned motioning toward her robes, which, now that Tom mentioned it, did look odd._

_“Yes,” she nodded, pulling the blanket up over herself self-consciously, “I’ve already talked to Headmaster Dippet and Professor Dumbledore - they put an old hat on my head and it decided that I was to be placed in Gryffindor.”_

_“The sorting hat,” Tom clarified, “It’s put on most students in first year during the Welcome Feast, but with the transfers they’ve taken to doing the sorting privately to keep from singling the students out.”   She nodded in agreement._

_“What are you boys doing?” a voice huffed. I turned to spot Madam Treyhart, “I don’t believe I told you that it was visiting hours.”_

_“Our apologies Madam Treyhart, we just wanted to formally introduce ourselves as well as keep her company seeing as Potter and Leach both snuck out of here just as fast they could,” Tom stated with an innocent smile. I smirked at the clever wording Tom always had._

_“Oh those two,” she huffed annoyed, looking toward the two abandoned beds before turning back to us, “I expect you both gone by the time I get back. She needs her rest.”_

_“Of course Madam Treyhart,” we replied together, as we sometimes did. The female teachers found it ‘cute’ and we found that we were able to get away with more._

_She nodded once, then shut and locked her office door with the flick of her wand before she walked briskly from the Hospital Wing._

_“Now that she’s gone…” Tom stated with relief, trailing off as he moved toward her with one of his conniving smiles._

_“Are you going to kill me?” she suddenly sputtered out._

_“What?” Tom sputtered back, glancing at me, though I simply shrugged my shoulders in equal confusion…where had that come from, “Nuu no. NO! Why? Is there a reason we should?”_

_“No,” she replied quickly, “It’s just; you looked so serious right there I wasn’t entirely sure.”_

_“We’re not going to kill you,” I assured from beside her; watching as she jumped, apparently startled again. She seemed to be as jumpy as a rabbit. There was an awkward silence that was beginning to make me uncomfortable…why were we talking about killing people…and why was she so jumpy?_

_“Sooo,” I finally continued, “I guess that’s it then?” I watched her shrug her shoulders and noticed Riddle glare at me; I simply gave him my signature Malfoy smirk, his glare deepened._

_“I am feeling quite worn,” she replied, causing both of us to turn and look at her curiously._

_“Well that won’t do,” Riddle commented, “We’ll leave you to rest then. We hope to see you tomorrow.”_

_“Tomorrow then,” she replied, forcing a pained smile and nodding her head to us before we nodded, turned, and left the Hospital Wing._

_“Well that was interesting,” I commented flatly, walking beside Tom as we made our way toward the Dungeons._

_“I still had more questions,” Tom huffed annoyed, turning to glare at me before stomping ahead in some sort of childish tantrum._

_I sighed and ran to catch up.   “Perhaps we should befriend her,” I suggested to the irate boy now beside me, “If we were friends, maybe she’d tell us the truth.”_

_“Befriend her,” he repeated, wrinkling his nose in distaste, “Are we ruddy birds, Brax?”_

_“Well, you have to remember that the girl is all alone in a new place with no one to rely on,” I continued, “And she’s already met us and Potter and Leach. We just need to be there for her and befriend her and she’ll tell us whatever we want to know. Girls are all ruddy gossips as it is anyway.”_

_“That’s perfect Brax,” Tom replied with a wolfish grin, “We shall befriend her and discover just what she’s hiding. This knowledge shall stay between us.”_

_“Yaxley and Black?” I questioned him curiously._

_“For now, no; leave them in the dark as well,” Tom decided after a moment of thought, “The less they know about the interworkings of this plan the better.”_


	11. Brax, Tom, Ryland, and the News of the New Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abraxas goes through his first day of classes now that the new girl’s arrived and how in just the one day she seems to have altered things.

_I was sitting beside Black and Yaxley, Tom sitting across from Ryland as we tiredly stuffed eggs and sausage into our faces. I’d stayed up half the night thinking about how to ‘befriend’ her. I’d given Tom the idea and now I was actually regretting it. What had I gotten myself into? No matter who she was or where she came from she was still a pureblooded girl and there wasn’t much that I knew about pureblooded girls. For one, I didn’t much care. I was planning to be the Minister or Magic or something of the like and I could care less about the wife I had beside me on the way as long as she provided me with an heir and kept her mouth shut in public, but otherwise…I didn’t know much. I knew they weren’t supposed to be alone with a man; that was why they were always surrounded by loads of other birds. I suspected that it was some sort of rule._

_I brought a forkful of food to my mouth, though it never made it as I heard, “This is Myone Macmillan, our new seventh year Gryffindor transfer from Durmstrang.” I glanced up and moved my fork back to my plate as I eyed that obnoxious mudblood girl introduce Macmillan to the rest of the Gold and Red brood._

_“Do you need help,” a voice asked curiously, causing me to look away from the new girl and look instead to the girl beside me, Lestrange her name was, I think._

_“What?” I sneered, annoyed at her already for disrupting my thinking._

_“Do you need help,” she repeated, glancing down at my plate before looking back up at my face and I looked down to realize that I had missed my plate when I put my fork down, the food that I had meant to put back on the plate was now on my lap with Ryland and Alphard stifling laughter._

_“Are you asking to feed me?” I snarled furiously, glaring at her so angrily that I heard her ‘eep’ and quickly look back to her group of friends who all carefully avoided looking at me._

_I chanced a glance at Tom who smirked and raised a brow at me, before going back to reading his book and I muttered a “shut up” to the boys on either side of me who were both still trying to stifle their laughter. I quickly finished eating and left for the library, making sure to avoid looking at the new girl for the rest of the time I sat in the Great Hall._

* * *

_I knew I needed to be getting to class so I quickly packed my belongings, bid adew to Madam Oxkin, and made my way in the direction of Potions. It didn’t take long before I noticed a thick mane of curly brown hair bobbing slightly with each step. She turned her head ever so slightly and I immediately recognized her, new girl._

_“It appears my luck is with me today,” I called out with a smirk, causing her to spin about and come face to face with me, “Only just this morning I’d thought to myself, ‘I wonder if I’ll see Ms. Macmillan today’ and here you are.”_

_“Here I am,” she repeated with a gleam in her eyes, “You wouldn’t happen to be going to Potions, would you?”_

_“Potions?” I questioned, pretending to think on it for a moment as though I wasn’t entirely sure, “I am. You are as well I suspect.”_

_“You suspect correctly,” she nodded. I couldn’t stop a smile from flicking across my face before I quickly suppressed it._

_“Well what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t walk a lady to her class,” I remarked, wanting to ensure that she walked with me and didn’t run into any of the Gryffindors in potions and wander off with them instead. There weren’t many to choose from but better to be safe than sorry. I couldn’t help but smirk as I remembered that we only had three at our table now the Alphard opted out of NEWT potions this year. Many of the others wanted to join our table but we had declined, stating that we were better with three than making them our forth. We weren’t above being cruel._

_“You can join our group if you like, we only have three and the other groups have four…but only if you want to, of course,” I said kindly knowing full well that Slughorn would put her with us either way, at least this way it felt like an option._

_“That’s fine,” she replied. I pointed out where she could sit once we’d made it into the classroom and she carefully set all her books out on the table, much like Tom tended to do before settling in._

_“So how are you liking Hogwarts so far?” I asked her curiously._

_“I like it,” she shrugged, “I’ve met some interesting people since I’ve been out of the Hospital Wing. The Gryffindors sure are a rowdy bunch.”_

_“That’s an understatement,” I scoffed, “That lot wouldn’t know subtlety if it slapped them in the face.” She grinned at some sort of joke only she knew but said nothing; this girl was full of secrets._

_I noticed Tom coming up from behind her as her back was to the door but I didn’t say anything, knowing how much he liked sneaking up on people._

_“Ah Ms. Macmillan, it is quite delightful to see you here in seventh year potions I must say,” Tom said from right behind her, making her jump before taking the seat beside her and setting his books out in a similar arrangement._

_“Not expecting me?” she questioned, giving him a challenging eye._

_“I couldn’t quite determine at the time,” he responded, “Though I can honestly say that I am not disappointed by your presence.”_

_“Who’s the brawd,” Ryland asked curiously as he came around the table and sat beside me._

_“This is Myone Macmillan,” I replied, noting how Ryland nodded his head in response, most likely surprised that Tom and I were voluntarily talking to a girl._

_“Names Yaxley, but call me Ryland. My father’s Yaxley and I’d rather not be associated if you don’t mind,” Ryland mentioned casually, and I smiled at the test. While the statement was true, most pureblooded girls didn’t have the gall to call a man they weren’t either being courted by or related to by their first name, it was a sign of incredible familiarity and he was testing the water with her. He did hate to be called Yaxley; that much was true. That was one of the many reasons he didn’t like talking to girls. This was one of the rare female rules that I did know as we saw it in action all day long._

_She nodded her head and stood from her stool to reach over the cauldron to shake his hand, “Myone Macmillan. I don’t mind either but I hear there are other Macmillans here so it might avoid confusion to call me Myone.”_

_“Noted,” he said with a grin. He was now allowed to call her Myone. He sure was proud of himself, “Now this one I may not mind…even if she is a Gryffindor.”   Tom and I laughed at that when we realized that despite being pureblood and clearly not fit for pureblood society she would be much more approachable and tolerable than most girls._

_I watched Slughorn make his way into the room and head to his desk, “Sorry I’m late gentleman…and lady. You should be finishing up your papers on the first of the four potions and then as a group, will be deciding on your two potions for the remainder of the year.”_

_I glanced at Tom to see him leaning over and whispering to Macmillan and realized she must have asked about the assignment, she was apparently quite interested in potions, “There are four potions that we should be proficient in by the end of the year but because of issues during fifth year, we are regrettably behind, so Slughorn’s decided to have us write papers on the four potions and then have us choose two of the potions to do as a group. Make sense?”_

_“Yes, thank you,” she responded._

_“So...” Slughorn concluded, “I want your final potion decisions on my desk by the end of class. You have the rest of the time to work.”_

_“Watcha’ wan do then?” Ryland asked curiously, leaning on his hand looking bored._

_“What are the options?” she asked curiously, and all three of us turned to look at her oddly._

_“Oh, guess that bit is important,” I smirked, “The four potions are Amortentia, Felix Felicis, Veritaserum, and Polyjuice Potion. Since Polyjuice and Veritaserum both take about a month you choose one of the two and then choose between Amortentia and Felix Felicis since they both take around six months.”_

_“Oh, alright,” she said, nodding in agreement._

_“So let’s start with Veritaserum or Polyjuice,” Tom began diplomatically, pulling out a piece of parchment and wetting his quill._

_“Well, if it’s all the same to you lot I’d prefer Veritaserum over Polyjuice,” she shrugged._

_“Why?” Ryland asked curiously, asking what we all wanted to know._

_“I made Polyjuice in my second year, and I’d much rather brew Veritaserum as I understand it to be quite challenging.”_

_“Second year?” Tom asked in disbelief._

_“You really are rather brilliant aren’t you,” I added with a grin, she was going to be quite interesting._

_“Veritaserum it is then,” Tom finalized, writing it along the parchment, “Next: Amortentia or Felix Felicis?”_

_“You brew either of those?” Ryland asked with a raised eyebrow._

_“I haven’t, no,” she confirmed, “Either would be satisfactory to me.”_

_“I prefer Felix Felicis myself,” Tom commented, “Matters of the heart matter little to me while luck may be of use. Plus, we’ve all smelled Amortentia last year if you lot remember.”_

_“Yes,” we agreed. Mine smelled like her…can’t be forced to remember that now can I?_

_“Unless Ms. Macmillan is seeking to make some unsuspecting man fall for her I vote for Felix Felicis.”_

_“You’ve caught me,” she smirked, causing us to look to her a bit confused._

_“I’ve spent seven years getting O’s in Potions all for this moment, so that I can make Amortentia and make some unsuspecting bloke fall for me,” she continued and we couldn’t help but look at her nervously. She suddenly started to laugh and went on to say, “Put me down for Felix Felicis you dolts.”_

_We smiled nervously, concerned about the possibility that what she said was true. While we had sarcasm between ourselves we’d never heard a girl say anything as a joke to us before and as such we weren’t entirely sure if it was actually a joke or a truthful statement. I wouldn’t put it past some of the girls here at Hogwarts to get to seventh year potions simply to make Amortentia and get a man._

_I looked up to see Tom coming back the table with Slughorn in tow and realized that he must have turned in our assignment. “It seems I’ve missed you my dear,” he said when he arrived at her side as he eyed her curiously, he outstretched his hand and smiled, “I’m Professor Horace Slughorn and you are…”_

_“Myone Macmillan,” she responded, standing and taking his hand._

_“Ahh a Macmillan, wonderful family, any relation to Pyfus Macmillan?”_

_“Not that I know of sir,” she replied, “But we could be, we are a rather large brood.”_

_“That you are,” he agreed before turning to the rest of us, “And you chose not a better group of lads anywhere. These boys will be sure to keep you on the right path, won’t you boys?”_

_“Yes,” we assured with a quick nod. “Now, settle in and finish up your papers. Ms. Macmillan, we are writing papers on the four potions: their properties, uses, history, ingredients, etc. I believe the boys can tell you the potions we will be studying this semester.”_

_“They’ve already informed me professor and I’m already quite familiar with all four.”_

_“Excellent,” he smiled, “I hope to see excellent marks from you then.” She nodded and he turned his back to us, moving back to his desk and settling in, the room having nothing above a low mumbling of conversation throughout the rest of the class period._

_As class ended Tom called over Caspar Crouch and despite the boy’s reluctance, he approached the table of intimidating Slytherins, “Yes Tom?”_

_“This is Ms. Macmillan,” Tom introduced, “She is a Gryffindor, as you can clearly see, and is in need of someone to take her to Charms. As we are not in that class with your house, it would be prudent for you to ensure that she makes it there safely.”_

_“I’m sure I can find my own way there Riddle,” she huffed annoyed. She didn’t include the Mr. as was proper for a pureblooded girl to do; she apparently did whatever she wanted._

_“None the less, Crouch you shall take her to Charms, am I understood?”_

_“Of course Tom,” Crouch responded, smiling at the girl nervously, before leading the way toward Charms; and her odd self, disappearing around the corner._

* * *

_“So-” Ryland began, trailing off as we made our way to Care of Magical Creatures, “How am I just finding out about this bird now?”_

_“We only just found out about her yesterday,” Tom responded, leading the way out of the castle and out onto the grounds toward the forest._

_“She agreed to call me Ryland,” he added as an afterthought, smirking as he hopped down off a rock onto the grass path._

_“Thank you,” Tom replied, “I hadn’t been there and am quite pleased that you are providing me with the play by play.”_

_“What?” he asked confused._

_“Muggle-term,” I replied, Ryland nodding his head as Tom shook his head in disgust not realizing his slip. Not many at Hogwarts knew of Tom’s true heritage and those that did knew who and when to speak of it. Most of the others assumed him to be pureblooded and he had as many marriage proposals as the rest of us._

_“So you still haven’t told me about this bird,” Ryland stated annoyed, finding a stump near the designated classroom space and tossing his book onto it, “It’s not like you to make friends with a brawd at all let alone a new one. How do you know she’s not a looney?”_

_I noticed Tom shrug and I smirked, we had no idea, she very well could be a looney, but she was a very interesting looney._

_Hearing voices gaining volume, I looked up to see Lupin and Prince making their way down to the classroom area, talking as though they were sharing some sort of secret, though they were probably just talking about some assignment, as Ravenclaws were one to do._

_“Malfoy, Riddle, Yaxley,” Prince stated flatly, his face showing no emotion as usual._

_“Hello Prince,” Tom responded, cordially though not particularly friendly. Lupin simply nodded his head, but didn’t say anything, choosing to find a seat along the fencing instead._

_“Have you seen the new Gryffindor girl?” a voice asked curiously, as it joined Prince and Lupin, a voice I recognized as Irving Crouch, Caspar’s eight month younger brother and another Ravenclaw._

_“Another?” Prince snarled out unimpressed, “Delightful.”_

_“Caspar says that she’s quite friendly and she isn’t like the other girls,” Irving supplied excitedly, sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder how he’d gotten into Ravenclaw and not Hufflepuff._

_“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lupin asked confused, “‘not like other girls’?”_

_“How should I know?” Irving responded with a shrug, “I’m not my brother, am I?”_

_Ryland grinned as though he’d somehow discovered the answer to life’s greatest secret and said nothing, simply watching as the class filled in and Kettleburn arrived. I turned and stared my friend down in disbelief at his excitement over something so trivial when he leaned closer and whispered, “She’s still considered to be a mystery and we’ve got the exclusive.” Since when did Ryland sound as though he worked for the Daily Prophet?_

* * *

_After Care of Magical Creatures was lunch and then a free period as it was the time when we had the ‘opportunity’ to take divination; though none of us had felt oh so inclined. That was a wooly subject at the best of times and typically considered a girl’s subject, so now that it was no longer required for OWLs, we used the time in the library studying._

_After meeting up with Alphard during Care of Magical Creatures and sticking together throughout lunch, we made our way to the library and settled in to our usual table in our usual spots, thankful that most of the girls throughout the school were either in Divination or Transfiguration._

_“What has Ryland looking so odd,” Alphard asked curiously, poking said boy with the ink dipped end of his quill._

_“Oi,” he huffed, waving the quill away before scourgifying himself in annoyance, “If you must know, I met my future wife today.”_

_I couldn’t help but look at him rather perplexed, “Wife? How did that happen? You talked to her for a full hour and you’ve already made the decision that you’re going to marry her.”_

_“Well look at Alph,” Ryland replied indignantly, “He’s trapped marrying Flint the harpy and he’s never even spoken to her.”_

_“Quite proud of that, mate,” Alphard replied with a wink and a smirk, “If I can, I’ll never speak to her, wife or not.”_

_“Besides, the girl’s at least interesting,” Ryland shrugged._

_“She’s still a Gryffindor,” Tom scoffed, “Where the overly confident and fool-hardy reign.”_

_“What year was that in the sorting hat’s song?” Alphard asked curiously, pretending to think it over hard._

_“Shut it,” Tom responded, “I have Care of Magical Creatures homework to do.”_

_“Don’t let us stop you then,” Alphard laughed out, pulling out his books and thumping them hard onto the tabletop, earning a glare from the Head Boy, “So, Ryland’s new bird?”_

_“She’s not his new bird,” I replied quickly, “She’s the new girl and she’s just…a bit…different.”_

_“Different how?” Alphard asked curiously, biting on the end of his quill in interest._

_“Dunno yet,” Ryland commented with a shrug, “I’m hoping in a good way. I mean, she’s obviously a pureblood as she’s a Durmstrang student so it’s all good there-”_

_I shared a look with Tom and we both froze, we’d both assumed she was pureblood too. Durmstrang will only take Purebloods, it was a fact; but we’d already determined that she wasn’t a Durmstrang student…and with the way she talked, what if she wasn’t a pureblood at all? Tom raised an eyebrow at me indicating another question we’d have to figure out the answer to before going back to his parchment and continuing to scratch along the page._

_I huffed to myself but didn’t say anything aloud as Tom still didn’t want Alphard or Ryland privy to this information._

_“Well if she’s so great,” Alphard began, munching on the end of his phoenix feather quill, “Perhaps I’ll see if mother would be willing to change the contract from Flint to this new Macmillan girl.”_

_“You’ve never even met her,” Ryland huffed in annoyance, glaring at the boy across the way._

_“So, plenty of arranged marriages began with people who’d never met,” Alphard shrugged._

_“No one’s marrying her,” I replied, holding the bridge of my nose in frustration, “We barely know her, she’s a new transfer, she’s a bit odd, sure, but that doesn’t constitute your seemingly instantaneous infatuation, let it go.”_

_The two boys huffed, but nodded and went to start their schoolwork, Tom nodding gratefully at the ending of their idiocy._

* * *

_After the break was History of Magic. It was incredibly boring but necessary if any of us were going to work in the Ministry later in life as it was a required NEWT for consideration. I sat beside Ryland and Tom beside Alphard as the boys seemed to be having some sort of fight since the argument over who got to marry the new girl. They were acting like idiots and both Tom and I had told them so. I think they were finally getting it through their heads and were getting on a bit better as we made it to class but Tom still wanted them separated to ensure that he wouldn’t be annoyed out of his mind for the next two hours._

_History of Magic was taught by an old man we all simply called Binns. He didn’t seem to even acknowledge that Grindelwald was happening or that there was any sort of trouble on the horizon, he literally seemed to live in history. I noticed him walk into class and make his way to the front of the room where he first took attendance and then began to drawl on about the Goblin Wars that he’d already taught us three years ago._

_I turned to see Alphard smile and bid us ado before disillusioning himself and slipping out of class, he was skiving, lucky bastard._

* * *

_We were heading down to supper after History of Magic when we noticed Macmillan sneaking about. She was glancing around corners and running behind columns, all the while trying to look as though she was doing nothing suspicious at all._

_“Ah, Ms. Macmillan we meet again,” Tom said with a smile as we reached her and forced her to come to a dead stop in front of us. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you knew your way around this castle more than you let on.”_

_“I was just…” she began as we turned her in the opposite direction._

_“It’s time for supper,” Ryland stated flatly, “You know that meal at the end of a long day.”_

_“I know what supper is,” she replied indignantly, “I was actually going to the library.”_

_“You seem to be very interested in the library,” Tom replied curiously, “One might think you’re_ UP _to something.”_

_“Perhaps I just wish to study. Perhaps I just want high marks.”_

_“Perhaps,” he replied, with a shrug._

_“Well,” I smiled, “Off we go then.” We then began to lead her toward the Great Hall as Ryland attempted to strike up conversation,_

_“So where were you coming from?”_

_“Traditional Studies,” she replied with clear distaste in her voice. Tom and I looked at each other curiously, that class was strictly for Pureblooded girls; perhaps she was a pureblood, otherwise she’d managed to fool Dippet, Dumbledore, and Madam Black and that seemed a bit steep._

_“Ahh,” he nodded, “Oh course. Though, I get the feeling you didn’t enjoy it. Most of the girls I know like that class best. They say it’s the most challenging and she teaches them the most they can use in the real world.”_

_“Who told you that?” she asked in disbelief._

_“My sister,” Ryland shrugged, sheepishly, “But she really did say it helped her. When she got married she said that class saved her life. Apparently her mother-in-law was a real harpy.”_

_“Oh,” she responded with a nod. Persephone was a great deal older than Ryland but he’d been there during the wedding when she’d married a Crabbe, oh he remembered her crying about how she didn’t want to marry the brute and whatnot but she’d held herself poised like a proper pureblooded lady during the ceremony and that was all that mattered._

_“So how was it?” I asked curiously, “We don’t talk to a lot of girls, so that’s one of the classes we blokes don’t know much about.”_

_“Apparently neither do I,” she replied with a huff._

_“What do you mean?” Tom asked curiously._

_“Well I was informed that I was ‘dim’ today in Traditional Studies,” she snarled out angrily._

_“Who said that?” I questioned curiously, trying to stifle a laugh._

_“Those Carrow girls,” she replied, her nose crinkling in distaste._

_“Ohhh,” we all replied together making her suddenly laugh a bit._

_“You know they’ve dubbed themselves Mrs. Riddle and Mrs. Malfoy right?” she asked us curiously._

_“Doesn’t surprise me,” Ryland smirked, “Though it does amuse me greatly. They’ve been keen on them for years.”_

_“Really?” she smirked, I scoffed at her smile and cringed; those girls were idiots._

_“Oh shut it,” I grumbled._

_“Oh come on Malfoy,” she smiled and I couldn’t help but look at her curiously as she called me by my last name so casually, “They’ve got the hots for you.”_

_“The what?” I asked confused._

_“Nothing,” she responded embarrassed, “Nevermind.” We couldn’t help but continue to stare at her expectantly, “Oh shut up you prats. We’re here. I’m leaving.” She really was a crude little thing. She rushed away in a huff that caused us to snicker a bit and we moved to the Slytherin table, watching as she struggled to sit with her bunchy skirts before giving up and sitting side-saddle._

_I looked over at her curiously, it was as though she was one of the boys and it was odd. Tom looked over at me and I could tell that he was thinking the same thing; we would definitely be needing to keep an eye on her. Black and Avery joined us at the table and spoke to Ryland as I settled in to eat, this year was definitely going to be interesting indeed._

 


	12. The Invitation to Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How has she not met Alphard yet? Well, she has now.

“Wait,” Draco stated flatly with suspiciously narrowed eyes, halting the conversation quickly, “You’re telling me that you tricked her and lied about being her friend. That it was a ploy?”

“He is a Slytherin,” Granger confirmed with a shrug.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Draco asked his grandmother curiously, eying her sitting beside her husband, a man who just stated that he only became her friend because he thought she was hiding something.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” she shrugged, “You have to remember Draco that I’d dealt with you for seven years; very little a Malfoy does surprises me much anymore and I was just as skeptical of them at the time. I mean, look at it from my point of view, Lord Voldemort-” Draco cringed “-was trying to befriend me, I was almost 50 years in the past, and apparently I wasn’t considered very smart anymore…I was having my own issues and concerning myself with whether or not a Malfoy was genuinely trying to be my friend or not was not my top concern.”

Draco nodded, seeming to understand where she was coming from.

_After I’d settled in at the quiet end of the Gryffindor table, Margaret joined me for supper with a smile; Elspeth, Lindou, and Lilou flanking her. “I heard about what happened in Traditional Studies,” she said with a look that appeared to be somewhere between sympathy and disgust._

_I nodded but didn’t respond aloud as the girls sat around me. “We sit a row behind you,” Lilou informed me, motioning to herself and Elspeth, “But I don’t think you noticed. You seemed a bit preoccupied.”_

_“I saw you with the Slytherins,” Elspeth said in a voice I recognized from my time, one of disdain._

_“Yes,” I replied with a scowl, “The Carrows were…something else.”_

_“Macnair as well,” Margaret huffed, “You might not have a problem since you’re a pureblood but they go out of their way to make the lives of Muggleborns and Halfbloods hard. Just – watch out for them.”_

_“Alright,” I replied tentatively, pausing to think. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that they thought I was a pureblood. Would they be rude to me like I was used to in my time if they knew the truth? I guess it was possible, probable even. I didn’t like all of this second guessing._

_Life was so much easier back home where I knew what to expect: Harry would be there to be kind and helpful, Ron would put his foot in his mouth, Malfoy would say something rude, and I would continue to be at the top of my class._

_Here though; Malfoy was kind and smiled at me, Potter was causing me to lose house points and pulling pranks, I wasn’t anywhere near the highest in marks, and Greyback was grinning at me like a cat that ate the canary; though the analogy wasn’t far off._

_Speaking of Greyback, he seemed to be staring at me expectantly from a few seats down the way. “Yes?” I questioned curiously._

_“I hear you were talking to the Slytherins in Traditional Studies,” he asked curiously, his eyes full of wonder and curiosity._

_“Perhaps,” I replied cryptically, “Why?”_

_“Did you talk to Alessandra?” he asked curiously._

_“Who?”_

_“Apparently she didn’t speak to the love of your life,” Margaret smirked smugly into her chipped potatoes._

_Greyback turned pink but didn’t comment, looking down at his food as his friends laughed at his expense. Charlus turned to me and smiled, “Alessandra Lestrange is in your Traditional Studies class and a Slytherin. For some reason our Fen here thinks that she’ll give him a moment of her time.” I covered the scar on my arm reflexively at the name Lestrange but forced a smile in Charlus direction._

_“Too bad she won’t sully herself by speaking with a lowly half-blood,” Norbert added with an uppity mocking tone._

_“She just needs to see how great we are…” Greyback mumbled under his breath but I was done listening, moving my attention from the boy to the head table, eying the staff. Many hadn’t been in attendance for either of the previous two meals but seemed to desire supper._

_I could see Dippet at the center of the table conversing with Professors Slughorn and Dumbledore, one on either side of him. I recognized Professor Kettleburn from when I went to Hogwarts though he had retired when Hagrid had taken the position as Professor for Care of Magical Creatures and had many more appendages that I was used to seeing. Beside him I spotted someone I couldn’t believe, Professor Binns but without the familiar glow I had come to expect from the ghost of a teacher. I couldn’t believe that he hadn’t died yet._

_Otherwise there was a stern looking man talking with a kind looking woman in purple robes, Madam Black glaring opening at the students, and a man stuffing his face as though the food was about to run off his plate._

_I looked back down at my plate and sighed, turning to introduce myself properly to Lilou and Lindou. “Sorry I’ve haven’t properly introduced myself yet,” I apologized, “I’m Myone Macmillan.”_

_“It’s nice to meet you,” they responded together. The curly haired brunette smiled and wiped her hands delicately on her napkin before stretching out her hand across the table to shake,_

_“I’m Lilou Selwyn.” I felt as though I’d heard that last name before but couldn’t place where. Ugh, yet another reason to pay more attention to things._

_“And I’m Lindou Dunbar,” the other girl smiled, her strawberry blonde hair in a delicate updo. The girls seemed nice and tolerable and quite fitting to be my roommates; I would’ve preferred them over my current ones at the very least but I still definitely preferred my time over this one._

_The girls talked amongst themselves for the majority of supper after that, which was fine with me, it allowed me time to think. How to get home? That was my next big project. It couldn’t be too difficult when it was so easy to get here. I’d just need to get into the library. Hopefully I’d be back in my own bed by curfew._

“What?” Myone asked Draco curiously, eying his skeptical look.

“You can’t honestly have me believe that you thought that you’d be home before the night was over?” Draco questioned curiously.

“I did,” she confirmed, “I was known for finding the solutions to the most difficult of problems you must remember.”

“Yeah, in your time,” Draco scoffed, “But in the 40’s you were considered an idiot.”

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” she questioned annoyed, glaring at him in a way that he’d come to associate with his father, it really was odd to realize that Mudblood Granger would be his father’s mother.

“A bit,” he admitted with a shrug.

“Anyway,” Myone continued,

_After supper, I informed my new roommates that I’d be going to the library to study and would meet them at the Portrait of the Fat Lady that evening._

“That’s where the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room is?” Draco asked with a Cheshire Cat grin.

“Yes dear, now stop interrupting,” she chastised.

_They informed me that the password was ‘Ministry of Magic’ (Leach had chosen it this time) and I had gone off to the library to begin my research._

_I made it to the library without being accosted on the way, nodded cordially to the librarian who seemed much more lenient than Madam Pince, and moved to where the scene of the crime had occurred; so to speak._

_Everything had already been picked up and the shelf holding the book I had been reaching for had been completely cleared out. Probably the Headmaster was trying to find me a way home on his own, how nice of him; but that didn’t help me at the moment. I was still trapped here in the wrong time and the books that could help me most were gone._

_I sighed annoyed and began to scour the shelves for books on time travel, grabbing everything that I saw and moving them all to my usual table in the back corner of the library before settling in for what I expected was going to be a grueling night._

_I’d been sitting there for at least an hour, my head in my hands in exasperation, when I heard the chair on the other side of the table screech across the masonry of the floor and a thump as someone placed their books onto the tabletop._

_I couldn’t see what they looked like as my stacks of tomes sat so tall that they covered my view but I suspected that if I ignored whomever it was, perhaps they would ignore me as well._

_It seemed to work as we continued to work on our own studies in silence and I completely forgot that they were there in my frustration. I wasn’t finding anything. Everything I’d found about time travel was theoretical. There were no working time travel devices like Time Turners and everything else was based on idea rather than testing. It seemed that here, time travel was impossible._

_“The library is closing dears,” the librarian informed me as she passed by the table before taking her leave back to her desk, the books on the return cart reshelving themselves. I sighed at my fruitless endeavor and stood from my spot, stacking the books back up to carry them to the shelving cart._

_I glanced down as I moved the books about and froze, sitting just on the other side of my book barrier was what could only be described as Sirius Black.   My mind whirled as I mumbled out, “Sirius?”_

_What if I hadn’t gone through time at all and had died and this was where the dead ended up? So far everyone I’d met was most likely dead with the exception of Slughorn, Muriel, Amicus, and Tessie and I wasn’t even completely sure about them. The man looked up at me and smiled, only further confirming my suspicions that he was in fact, Sirius Black._

_“Hello,” he stated, placing his parchment into his book and closing it to hold his place before tucking his things away._

_“Hello,” I responded, stiffly, still in disbelief._

_He stuck out his hand and smiled, “I’m Alphard…Alphard Black.”_

_“Hello,” I sputtered out again, for lack of a better response, “I’m…I’m Myone Macmillan…I’m new.”_

_“Ohhh,” he smiled, trailing off at that, “So you’re the new girl then. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”_

_“I can’t say the same it seems,” I responded before repeating his name as I tried to place it on the family tree from Grimmauld Place, “Alphard.” He froze and stared at me curiously when I said his name before covering it up and nodding cordially._

_“Are you heading back to your rooms then?” he questioned curiously, noting that I had all my things packed away and that I was attempting to get my books together to take to the shelving cart._

_“Yes,” I responded, allowing him to take my books and lead the way out of the library; dropping them at the shelving cart on the way out. I assumed it to be the custom, letting the man take the woman’s books as it seemed women were inept to take care of themselves in this time._

_“So your new then?” he asked curiously, holding open the door for me before following me out and leading the way down the hallway._

_“Yes,” I said with a smile, “I was a Durmstrang student, but with Grindelwald…”_

_“I understand,” he responded, “You’re not the first to come here because of that. So how are you liking Hogwarts so far?”_

_“It’s nice,” I replied, “A lot different than I’m used to, but nice.”_

_“Is it a lot different than Durmstrang?” he asked curiously and I froze._

_“Well…”_

_“Because I’ve met some of the other Durmstrang transfers and they assimilate quite well…I guess I always just assumed-” he shrugged._

_“Well I traveled a lot,” I half-lied, “I did go to Durmstrang but not exclusively. I was home schooled a bit and so this is a bit different. Though I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone just yet.” My lie was getting deeper and deeper and I was going to be having trouble keeping it straight soon. This was getting difficult. I really needed to get home soon. Since it obviously wasn’t going to happen today, I’d have to speak with Headmaster Dippet tomorrow so he could make sure that I got home tomorrow._

_“Oh,” Alphard nodded, “I understand.” We continued to walk in silence for a bit when he suddenly asked, “What are you doing this Saturday?”_

_I wanted to say, ‘Being far far away from here,’ but instead responded with, “I don’t know, why?”_

_“Well, it’s a Hogsmeade weekend,” he began, waving his hands in a circular motion, “You know, before the Quidditch match; and since you don’t really know anyone yet and I’m sure you need to buy some things…”_

_“Are you asking me to Hogsmeade?” I questioned curiously, wondering if it meant the same thing here as it did in my time._

_“Well…” he trailed off, “If you need a chaperone…”_

_“A chaperone,” I huffed, frowning and crinkling my nose in annoyance, “What the bloody hell would I need a chaperone for?”_

_He looked startled for a minute before gaining his composure and I realized that he probably hadn’t said anything wrong. Pureblooded girls probably did need chaperones when going on dates for some ridiculous reason and I’d completely blown it. Alphard Black was most assuredly a pureblood and my outburst probably set off all sorts of alarms._

_“Your interesting,” he smiled, “My offer still stands. Let me know if you do want someone to take you around Hogsmeade, I’d be more than happy to.” We continued on in silence and I snuck a glance in his direction. He had a smile on his face and he seemed to be thinking about something. I ignored it and continued on._

_“This is where we part way,” he said suddenly, pausing at a fork in the corridor, “You do know the way to Gryffindor Tower from here, do you not?”_

_“I do,” I responded._

_“Then I shall bid you ado,” he responded with a smile, nodding his head politely and heading in the way I knew the dungeons to be. I smiled a bit despite myself remembering him to be Sirius’ favorite Uncle, the one blasted off the tapestry. Maybe he wouldn’t be so bad, maybe going with him to Hogsmeade wouldn’t be so bad. Oh, who was I kidding, I’d be long gone before Saturday. With a shrug of my shoulders I headed back toward the Gryffindor Common Room._

_Once I made it back to common room and let myself in with the new password_ _,_ _I_ _followed the stairs to the girl’s dorms, and went into the one labeled ‘Seventh Year’ quickly realizing that the girls I was currently sharing with were already in bed. Yet another thing that seemed to have changed over time, the late night giggling and gossiping._

_I quickly changed into my pajamas which were now consisting of a pair of shorts that belonged to Ron and a tee-shirt that belonged to Harry that I found in the bottom of my beaded bag. I mean, I had my own pajamas with me but today, today I needed their comfort. I missed them desperately now. I thought I’d be home tonight. I thought that I’d be apologizing to Ron by now; not still here in the past._

_I climbed into the one vacant bed and sighed sadly, I couldn’t wait to go home. I turned over and curled into a ball. This was worse than the six months we spent in hiding searching for horcruxes; at least then I had a sense of purpose - and my best friends._

_Now…now I just felt lost._


	13. Myone Doesn't Stand for Bullying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myone notices a girl being picked on and jumps in to help, but it seems the girl is familiar as well...both of them.

_When I woke up the next morning I was discombobulated; most of the other girls were already up and getting ready.  Margaret was pulling a brush through her hair while sitting at the vanity, Lilou was wearing a towel and French braiding her hair so that it would sit on her shoulder when it was finished, Lindou was leaning against the wall on her bed reading that horrid Traditional Studies book, and Elspeth was still snoring with her covers pulled tight around her._

_“Oh hello Myone,” Margaret greeted, spotting my reflection in the vanity mirror, “I hope we didn’t wake you.”_

_“Oh, no,” I assured with a sigh, a small part of me wishing that I would’ve woken up back home, “I’m quite an early riser.”_

_“Ah good,” she nodded, turning back to her own reflection. I stretched and let my blankets fall away before noticing the pull of skin on my left arm and froze. By now I was used to the pull; the skin had long since healed over but the scar would be there forever and the skin would pull when stretched for the foreseeable future._

_At first I’d been proud of it, I was a Mudblood and I wasn’t ashamed of my scars, it showed the bravery I held onto during the war; but the pity in everyone’s eyes when they’d see it was more than I could take, and after two months of consoling and soft words I’d begun to glamour it simply so others would forget – and they did._

_Typically the glamour would wear off every three or four days depending on my stress levels and the girls in the dorm would be subjected to it in the morning before I’d gotten a chance to take care of it, but here; no, I was a pureblood here and that was how it needed to stay. I quickly gathered my robes and uniform, covering my arm with them and moving from the seventh year dorms and down the hall to the girl’s bath so quickly that it was almost considered a run._

_Once inside I cast a quick cleaning charm on the robe and uniform as it was the only set I had and got changed, not bothering with a shower as many of the younger girls were in the showers giggling and I didn’t look forward to an adventure of that magnitude this morning. I cast a silent glamour over my already covered arm before gathering the tee-shirt and shorts and moving quickly back the seventh year’s room._

_The three awake girls gave me a look as I hastily made my way back inside but they didn’t say anything so I didn’t let it bother me; instead I put the night clothes back into my bag and got all my things together, I didn’t want to leave anything here as I wasn’t planning to ever come back._

_“Breakfast isn’t for a little while,” Lilou stated casually, fastening a ribbon to hold her braid in place before weaving a few flowers into the now finished do._

_“Ohh,” I replied, only half listening, running through my schedule in my head: First Arithmancy, then Defense against the Dark Arts, then Ancient Runes and finally Alchemy. I would have time between DADA and Ancient Runes to go see Headmaster Dippet about a way home if I skipped lunch which would be fine as long as I got a large breakfast. But should I tell the Headmaster that I wished to stay for Alchemy; that wasn’t a class that was offered anymore and I couldn’t help but be very interested in taking it, if only for the day. I sighed, no, I needed to get home, not waste time worrying over classes; it was like third year all over again._

_“Lilou?” Lindou asked curiously, “We have a test tomorrow in Traditional Studies don’t we?”_

_“Yes,” Lilou responded and I shuddered, glad to be gone before then._

_“What is it over?”_

_“Hand shaking.”_

_“Hand shaking?” I sputtered out, sitting back onto my bed in disbelief. The girls looked at me but said nothing._

_“Can you test me on it?” Lindou smiled sweetly, closing her textbook and sitting up prim and proper._

_“Alright,” Lilou responded cordially, “When should a lady always shake hands with strangers?”_

_“When she is a hostess and being introduced to every stranger at their home. When they are being introduced to a relation of their intended husband. When being introduced to a friend of an intimate friend, or when in a conversation with someone she finds that she has a lot in common with.”_

_“Close,” Lilou responded, grabbing Lindou’s book from the bed as she passed by and opening it to the bookmarked page to read the passage aloud, “When a lady has entered into conversation to any extent with someone to whom she has been introduced, and finds she has much in common with her, she should shake hands on taking leave; but if she has only exchanged a few commonplace sentences, a bow would be all that is necessary.”_

_“Oh, I always have trouble with that one,” she sputtered frustrated, hanging her head. “I’ll lose points there and the two finger shake for sure.”_

_“Two finger shake?” I asked aloud without realizing._

_“Yes,” Lilou asked curiously, “Are you not familiar? You should probably study, the quiz is tomorrow after all.”_

_“I’m not overly concerned,” I shrugged, dismissing the idea. I’d be gone anyway._

_“Perhaps that’s part of the problem,” Elspeth stated, sitting up in her bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes before yawning, “You really must study to do well in school. Being a housewife is what we are all striving for but we still have to do well in Traditional Studies if we want to be housewives in worthwhile families.”_

_I turned to the only non-pureblood in the room, other than myself of course, and sighed, “What about you Margaret. How do you feel about all this?”_

_“I don’t know?” she shrugged, continuing with her hair that seemed to be taking forever._

_“Well, what do you want to be since you apparently can’t become a pureblooded housewife?”_

_“Well, I can still be a housewife, just not a pure one,” she replied before continuing, “Or I can become a medi-witch or a teacher or possibly a secretary at some of the lower end positions within the ministry.”_

_“That’s it, you don’t have any greater aspirations than that?” I asked frustrated at her lack of drive. She was the me of the 40’s after all._

_“What’s wrong with that,” Margaret huffed, “There aren’t many more options in the Muggle world; maybe a stewardess, a typist, or a switchboard operator but that’s about all the more there is there.”_

_I froze realizing that I should shut my mouth before I put my foot in it. “Besides,” she continued, “There are more and more halfbloods every generation. Who’s to say I won’t marry a pureblood?”_

_“I didn’t mean anything by it,” I backpedaled, realizing that I was rather rude to her._

_“I know, it’s just, purebloods act like I’m dirty and worthless but they don’t realize that-”_

_“We’re all pretty much the same,” I finished for her sadly, “I know. Trust me, I know.”_

_“Um,” Elspeth began slowly, adjusting her jumper as she finished changing, “I don’t mean to interrupt your…whatever it is, but it’s time for breakfast now and I’m feeling a bit peckish.”_

_“Alright,” Lilou smiled, closing Lindou’s Traditional Studies book and tossing it to her, “Off we go.” I nodded and followed along, knowing that I needed to stop talking so much and just observe, I wasn’t going to be here much longer and while I was I just needed to mind my own._

_We walked to breakfast in silence, an awkward silence to be sure before being bombarded by Potter, Greyback, and Leach._

_“Hey,” Leach smiled, his eyes shining, “How are you ladies this fine morning?”_

_“What do you want now Mr. Leach?” Margaret grumbled, rolling her eyes at his antics in annoyance._

_“Oh my dear, only to see your beautiful smile,” he responded sarcastically, moving to grab her hand affectionately before she pulled it away in disgust._

_“Get away from me,” she huffed annoyed._

_“You wound me,” he responded, pretending to hold his heart in pain._

_“I’m sure,” she replied, walking away quickly with Elspeth, Lilou, and Lindou following close behind and leaving me in the dust._

_“Why do you do that?” I questioned curiously, eying Leach as the girls turned the corner and I was left with the three._

_“What do you mean?” he questioned curiously, pushing his hat back onto his head where it had drifted down from his jumpy behavior._

_“Why do you pick on her so much?” I repeated curiously._

_“Dunno,” he responded with a shrug, turning to Potter and Greyback who both shrugged in response before turning back to me, “Never really thought about it much.”_

_“I just find it odd,” I responded, taking up beside them as we continued on our way in the direction of the girls to the Great Hall._

_“I guess…” he finally replied, “I guess that I pick on her because she responds.”_

_I couldn’t help but look at him curiously, “What?”_

_“Well the pureblooded girls won’t respond as their trained not to…but she’s a Muggleborn like me so she doesn’t have those ingrained beliefs like they do so when I pick on her she’ll respond.”_

_I nodded, but froze at the idea that pureblooded girls apparently didn’t respond when picked on. I was about to question him on that thought when I spotted two girls up ahead, one glaring down at the other. The smaller of the two appearing to attempt to make herself even smaller than she already was. She was being bullied. No, I wasn’t going to stand for this, even if I was 50 years in the past._

_“Sorry boys,” I smiled, nodding to the three, “But it seems that there is something that I have to do.” They nodded blankly, not fully understanding as I stormed away and toward the two girls in a huff. How dare she pick on that much younger girl like that? How completely horrid._

_“Excuse me,” I huffed, coming up to stand beside the two with a glare, “Excuse me!”_

_The girls finally turned to look at me curiously as I was able to get a good look at them. The one girl stood tall and beautiful, looking down her nose at me as though she had just accidently eaten a vomit flavored Bott’s bean. She had long black hair that hung in loose ringlets around her face, her blue eyes looked like a stormy day with that hint of mercury in them that I found so prevalent in the Black family, and she was tall and thin but with curves that suggested that she was to be good at bearing children. Essentially everything important in this backwards Wizarding World of the past._

_“You are excused for your oh so rude interruption,” the girl huffed, glaring at me in such a menacing way that I’d be frightened if I hadn’t just been through a war, “Move along.”_

_“What’s your name?” I questioned as though I were a mother chastising someone else’s child or as though I were still Head Girl._

_“Olive Hornsby.”_

_“Well Olive-” I began before she cut me off._

_“I don’t believe I gave you permission to refer to me by my given name,” Olive interrupted rudely, keeping her face passive as though sneering or glaring at me was no longer worth her time._

_I decided to ignore Olive…Ms. Hornsby and turned to the smaller, much shyer girl to my left, who was still appearing to vanish her neck between her shoulders. This girl was not classically beautiful like Olive but she was striking. She had deep soulful black eyes, a stiff pointed nose with sharp angular cheekbones, and long stick straight black hair that hung around her face like a curtain and ended near her elbow. I eyed her curiously, she seemed so familiar. She noticed me looking at her and seemed to shrink farther if possible. I sighed and smiled at her warmly,_

_“Hi.” Receiving no response I continued. “I’m Her…Myone Macmillan,” I told her softly, attempting to appear as nonthreatening as possible, “What’s your name?”_

_“Don’t bother with her,” Olive replied flippantly, “She’s a mute.”_

_I glared at Olive before turning back to the girl, “What’s your name?” She didn’t respond and I couldn’t help but wonder if Olive was right._

_“Well,” I replied, settling on the fact that it didn’t really matter, “It’s time for breakfast; come along.” The girl glanced between Olive and I and I motioned her toward me like a frightened puppy, repeating, “Come along.”_

_One last backward glance at Olive and she scuffled her way toward me and trailed behind me about a metre until we turned the corner and Olive vanished from view._

_“Why,” I heard faintly from seemingly out of nowhere._

_“What?” I asked curiously, apparently she wasn’t mute after all._

_“Why?” she repeated, only a hair louder than before, “Why did you do that?”_

_“Do what?” I asked in confusion._

_“Help me?” she questioned and I blanched. I couldn’t help but wonder how long this girl had been bullied by Olive Hornsby. Ugh, even her name left a bitter taste in my mouth._

_“What’s your name?” I asked her kindly and she looked up startled._

_“Eileen.” I glanced over her curiously and noticed her Slytherin robes, I would’ve pegged her for a Hufflepuff with her hesitance and soft spoken words. “Eileen Prince.”_

_My eyes widened as I recognized that name in disbelief; remembering one of my conversations with Harry,_ **‘ _...there was a tiny announcement about Eileen Prince marrying a Muggle called Tobias Snape and then later an announcement saying that she'd given birth…’_** _This was Eileen Prince, this was Professor’s Snape’s Mum. The man who treated me and my friends like worthless drivel and I’d just saved his Mum from the same thing, the irony._

_“Hello Eileen,” I replied quickly, gathering my wits about me. We settled into a silence for a moment before I began again, “Eileen; how long has Olive…”_

_“Picked on me,” Eileen supplied to which I nodded. The girl sighed and shrugged her shoulders, “Since Myrtle Warren died.” I frowned for a moment before connecting the dots. Myrtle Warren was most likely Moaning Myrtle. Myrtle had said that she’d died after going into the bathroom to cry because OLIVE HORNSBY made fun of her glasses. So Olive literally bullied that girl to death and then started on another one. Well no, I wasn’t going to have it._

_“That’s horrid,” I glared furiously and the girl shrugged,_

_“It isn’t so bad.”_

_“Don’t say that,” I replied appalled, “You shouldn’t be subjected to treatment like that.” We stood in the corridor awkwardly for a bit longer when I heard my stomach growl and sighed, I was supposed to eat a large breakfast today so I could skip lunch to work on getting home, I needed to keep on the ball._

_“Let’s get to breakfast,” I suggested and she nodded with a light smile, falling in step behind me to the Great Hall and freezing as I opened the double doors. No one was paying us any mind but I could still sense Eileen’s overwhelming urge to bolt and I quickly grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the Slytherin table._

_I was tempted to either sit with her or have her sit with me at the Gryffindor one but didn’t dare. I was still planning to leave in a few hours and she’d be trapped he_ _re_ _, getting more attention brought on her was not my plan. I eyed the Slytherins and faltered. I forgot that I didn’t know anyone here. I mean, as much as I hadn’t liked Tracey or Daphne I could at least put her there and know that they’d leave her be but these girls I wasn’t entirely sure on._

_Ottilie was probably a safe bet as she’d been quite friendly in my Traditional Studies class yesterday but I didn’t really know her enough to place the younger girl in her care. I sighed unsure when I suddenly spotted Malfoy, Riddle, Alphard, and Ryland all sitting at the table in a group; I wasn’t aware that Alphard knew the others. With a resolution set, I walked at a determined pace, dragging Eileen behind me before stopping at the Slytherin table and standing behind Abraxas and Ryland._

_“Hello Myone,” Alphard smiled, looking up from his plate, a clump of porridge stuck to his lip. I resisted the urge to laugh and kept my lips pursed, though I was sure the smile was clear. At Alphard’s declaration, the other three all looked up to eye me before curiously looking to the girl standing awkwardly behind me, her hands tucked into the opposite bell sleeves of her robes insecurely once I’d let go of her wrist._

_“Hello boys,” I responded before turning to Alphard, “Alphard, you have some porridge…just there.” He smeared the inside of his arm across his face to get it off and I let out a laugh, Eileen stifling a chuckle a bit behind me. I gave him a thumbs up and smiled, “You got it.”_

_The group now grinned amused as Abraxas turned in his seat to face me and asked what I was sure was on all their minds, “So what are you doing here at our table this fine morning?”_

_“Well,” I began unsurely, “I have here Eileen Prince. Eileen is in need of a new place to sit for meals.” I glanced back at her and noticed she was shrinking into herself again._

_“Eileen,” I called, getting her attention, “This is Alphard, Ryland, Tom, and Abraxas.” I pointed to each in turn and they nodded their heads curtly in her direction. I noticed a group of girls about my age down the table a bit staring us down intently but ignored them._

_“Tom here is Head Boy and can help you with anything you may need but all four boys are very nice and friendly and I think you will do well to sit here. Is that all right?”_

_Eileen nodded and Ryland smiled, patting the bench beside himself. Eileen moved around me and settled into the spot he indicated and I grinned placing my hand on his shoulder, “Thank you Ryland.” He looked up at me with a wide smile and nodded curtly._

_“I’ve got to go back to my table but if you need anything just find m_ _e or have one of the boys find me, alright,” I told her and awaited her nod in agreement before making my way back to the Gryffindor table feeling accomplished._

_“What was that all about?” Margaret asked curiously, pointing her fork in the direction I’d just come from._

_“Oh nothing,” I shrugged, “That girl was being picked on so I stopped the other girl but didn’t want her to sit alone and wasn’t sure on the strictness of sitting at house tables that weren’t your own so I had her sit with the boys.”_

_“The boys?” Margaret responded curiously before continuing on unperturbed, “You’re talking about Olive Hornsby right?” I nodded and Margaret groaned, “You don’t want to make her an enemy. There’s a rumor that she murdered Myrtle Warren.” I frowned._

_“I’m not scared of her,” I huffed, finding her glaring at me from the Slytherin table and staring right back at her._

_Margaret seemed to notice our stare down and shivered, “Well I’m just warning you.” I nodded and looked over at Margaret to see her going back to her food and glanced back up at Olive_ _,_ _she was no longer looking in my direction and was now talking with her friends. Even if I wasn’t leaving I wouldn’t be frightened of her, but that did explain better as to why Eileen had been so nervous._

_After breakfast I followed Lilou to Arithmancy and was delighted to find that it was actually considered Advanced Arithmancy. I’d been taking that class in my own time and was quite fond of the idea that I’d be taking it here as well…and that women were accepted there._

_When I got into the room I was quite surprised to find that more than half of the class were girls and that half of the class were also Ravenclaws. Lilou found us a seat in the third row and settled in getting out a book on Arithmancy that I quickly found in my beaded bag and settled onto the table top. It was only moments later that the instructor found her way into the room and passed out a piece of parchment to each student._

_I glanced around to see that everyone had arrived and even spotted Tom diagonally behind me. I smiled and waved in his direction to which he nodded his head in kind. Even if he was the most evil wizard of all time he still hadn’t turned Eileen away - and that was something._

_“Alright class,” the teacher began, “As we start every class, please determine today’s lucky numbers.” I watched the students around me begin to formulate their lucky numbers and smiled, something I knew how to do, wonderful. I quickly wrote out the formulas and equations and circled my six 8, 10, 28, 29, 54, 32. Done, easy, wonderful._

_“Hello,” a voice stated from beside me, causing me to turn, “You’re new. The numbers told me today I would see someone I had yet to see before.”_

_I nodded my head and smiled, “Yes, my name is Myone Macmillan.”_

_“Well that can’t be right,” she replied eying my paper curiously, eyebrows drawn together in concentration, “This says you’re a 4. A number 4 person is lucky, happy, good at what they do, shy, a gambler, independent, humble, and aloof. They are also known for having many children. Does that sound like you?”_

_I froze, what? In all the years I’d taken Arithmancy, 4 years by the way, I’d never had a reading so wrong before._

_“Oh I see the problem dear, you added your name wrong. This doesn’t add up to Myone Macmillan.” I faltered and sputtered nervously, the class turning to look at us oddly. I didn’t do it for Myone Macmillan, I did it for Hermione Granger._

_“Let’s see now, Myone Macmillan, that’s a number 6. That means that you are firm and wise. It says that you are able to make sound judgments and keep to the job until the work is finished. They tend to overdo since they have doubts about other people’s judgment and prefer to rely on themselves. They are determined in whatever they do and hate to fail. They love a good book and appreciate all of the arts. Does that sound more like you dear?” I nodded numbly and the teacher smiled. “It also looks like you got the year wrong on your sheet here, this would add to believe that you were born in the seventies or eighties. I understand that it’s only your second day here though so don’t fret. The Headmaster would not have placed you with us were you not worthy.”_

_I nodded again and the professor smiled before going back to the front of the room and beginning the lesson.   Another class where the room thought I was stupid. I glanced down at my new lucky numbers: 1, 9, 13, 22, 53, and 6._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just (finally) discovered Myrtle's true last name to be Warren and have since changed it in this chapter and in chapter 24. It has gone from Edwards to Warren per canon.


	14. Professor Vostic, the Sexist Git

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its time for practical DADA and Hermione is surprised to find that she's the only girl set for the class until she realizes that the Professor is sexist and is trying to throw her out but demanding a duel against his best student for admittance. Can Myone succeed in getting into the class or will she fail miserably?

_As Arithmancy finished up and Professor Videns dismissed the class_ _(I_ _learned that was her name_ _)_ _she stopped me from leaving as the rest of the class funneled out of the room._

_“Ms. Granger?” she asked curiously and I turned before I could stop myself._

_“Oh,” I replied_ _,_ _lowering my head, startled that I was caught so quickly._

_“Don’t worry,” she assured, placing a hand on my shoulder and moving me slowly toward the door as she spoke, “I won’t say anything. I’m not sure who you’re keeping this a secret from but I’m known for keeping secrets of my own.” She winked and smiled, “I did know you were coming. The vibrations in the numbers told me.”_

_I look at her, in what I assumed was a stupid way, before nodding stiffly, “What else have you seen?”_

_“That despite the best intentions, time has a way of protecting itself,” she replied cryptically, “Now off you go, you have a class to attend.”_

_I nodded as she nudged my shoulder to_ _ward_ _the door before turning back to her and finding her gone, a small scrap of parchment floating slowly to the floor in her place._ _I_ _ripped it from its decent and eyed it curiously_ _reading it aloud. “Good luck. Don’t let Tentus get you down…he’s tough but fair.”_

_I cocked my head to the side in confusion but put the paper in the pocket of my robes and rushed from the room before suddenly coming to a halt as I spotted Tom standing on the other side of the corridor so he had a clear view of the door._

_“About time,” he huffed, kicking himself off the wall and moving toward me with a huff, “I waited for you. You could’ve at least moved a bit faster.”_

_“Excuse me,” I glared, staring him down angrily, “I was talking to the professor and I didn’t even know you were waiting for me. And on the same note, why were you waiting for me? No one asked you to. I can find my way to DADA on my own.”_

_“DADA,” Tom repeated curiously, “What’s that?”_

_“Defense against the Dark Arts ,of course. I shouldn’t be expected to say the whole thing in its entirety every time_ _,_ _now should I. I do have other important things to do.”_

 _Tom simply stared at me as I continued to berate him, completely annoyed that he was putting the blame on me for_ _his_ _volunteering to wait for me_ _..._ _without my knowledge_ _..._ _for no reason._

_“You have defense next class?” he finally asked after a moment or two of silence. “Let me see your timetable,” he stated flatly, holding out his hand expectantly to which I huffed indignantly and turned away, moving toward the classroom._

_“Hey,” he shouted, running to catch up, a murderous look on his face that caused me to falter for a second before gathering my courage._

_“What?” I responded stiffly, continuing on my way at a fast pace, I didn’t want to be late after all._

_“Let me see your timetable,” he repeated annoyed, waving his hand at me to get my attention._

_“I’d rather not,” I replied bored, brushing past him and moving along._

_“I am Head Boy you know,” he shouted, causing the other potentially late students to look on in interest as we passed._

_“Big headed boy apparently,” I replied, remembering Fred and George’s insult for Percy all those years ago. My heart clenched painfully at that, Fred._

_“I can give you detention,” he countered, still walking in step with me, his face giving away his annoyance._

_“I wouldn’t go,” I shrugged, continuing on my way._

_“Excuse me,” he huffed in disbelief._

_“You’re excused,” I replied, finally reaching the classroom and pulling open the door to see all of the students already there._

_The room turned to stare at me, a bit slack jawed, though I ignored it as Tom continued, “You’re insufferable.”_

_“And you’re a git,” I finished, not bothering to look at him as I eyed the room curiously for a place to sit. I quickly realized that I was the only girl. Even in potions there was one Ravenclaw girl but this one seemed devoid of Estrogen._

_There were seven Slytherins, six Ravenclaws, five Hufflepuffs, and five Gryffindors. I spotted an available seat beside Alphard and another on the other side of the room beside Ryland and realized that Tom was closer to Ryland so I moved to sit with Alphard._

_“Oh, um hello Myone,” Alphard said a bit awkwardly._

_“Hello Alphard,” I replied with a smile, “How are you?”_

_“Um, well,” he replied, scratching the back of his head, before adding “Are you sure you’re in the right place?”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?” I questioned curiously, my eyebrows scrunching in annoyance._

_“Um it’s just that…well…”_

_“QUIET,” a voice suddenly boomed, the doors banging loudly as the man, presumably the teacher, made his way into the room. I recognized him as the stern looking man who had been arguing with the woman in purple robes at supper the night before, “Let’s get started-”_

_He suddenly stopped short and eyed me with a snarl, “What are you doing in here?”_

_“Excuse me,” I sputtered out, startled at his anger, he seemed more angry than Professor Snape on his worst day._

_“You heard me, girl,” he continued, saying girl as if it was an insult, “What are you doing in here?”_

_“I’m new,” I replied, trying not to shout at the man in anger at his tone, “I just started yesterday and this is the class I’m in for this period.”_

_“Let me see your timetable,” he huffed and as I pulled it from my bag I couldn’t help but eye Tom who sat a row behind me and on the other side of the center aisle, giving me a smug look. I paused momentarily in my search simply to glare at him. I got the timetable from my bag and looked up at the impatient man sneering at me from the front of the room, “Well what are you waiting for, bring it here.”_

_I scrambled from my spot beside Alphard and ran to the front of the room, handing the man my timetable and holding myself as tall as possible, I was not about to shrink in front of this man._

_He looked it over, scrutinizing every detail before finally making an indignant noise and looking over the parchment to eye me, “There seems to be some mistake by the Headmaster, you are not in this class.”_

_“With all due respect I am more than qualified for this class,” I countered annoyed at his tone. Sexist git._

_“Well, with all due respect,” he repeated in a chiding tone, “I don’t particularly care. This isn’t a place for giggles and squeals and rainbows. This is practical Defense where we practice dueling and it isn’t for the faint of heart, girly.”_

_“I am more than ready.”_

_“And I say you aren’t.”_

_“Well I’m not leaving this classroom simply because I was born without enough to fill a pair of trousers.”_

_A couple boys in the room snickered at that._

_“Fine; you wanna join this class,” the replied, throwing his hands up in exasperation, “You can join just like everyone else, you’ll duel, and if you win; you join.”_

_“Duel who,” I questioned_ _,_ _my eyes widening at the implication, “You?”_

_“Not me you twit,” he huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Normally it would be Professor Merrythought but since you’re here and she’s not…” He fell into thought and the class was so silent that you could hear a feather quill hit the floor._

_“You’ll duel Mr. Prince,” he finally settled, making eye contact with the boy who nodded and stood, making his way to the front of the room._

_“Mr. Prince is the best dueler I’ve taught in years, if you can beat him, you can join this class.” I faltered, the best in years…beat him._

_“Fine,” I nodded, knowing that even if I lost, my humiliation would be short lived as I was leaving before the day was up._

_“Alright,” the professor (I still didn’t know his name) began, “I’ll cast up a shield to keep any stray spells from hitting the other students.” He waved his wand and I felt the familiar feeling of the shields Harry and I used when we were in the woods looking for Horcruxes. “Now bow to your partner, or in your case girl, curtsy.”_

_I glared in his direction, curtsy, what the bloody hell. I took a deep breath to control my rage and curtsied to Professor Snape’s long lost relative as he bowed sarcastically. I don’t know for sure how one bows sarcastically but he managed it._

_“Don’t worry Ms. Macmillan, I’ll try not to hurt you. Go nice and easy on you,” he stated with a sneer_ _that_ _I recognized from Professor Snape. Ugh, he was going down._

_“Don’t bother,” I snarled angrily and he grinned,_

_“Tarantallegra,” he shouted, pointing his wand at me, and I didn’t bother to move, knowing the spell wasn’t even slightly harmful, letting my feet dance uncontrollably and causing the class to laugh hysterically. He didn’t even let me finite the first spell before he cast the next, “Rictusempra.”_

_This time I wasn’t able to move out of the way, my legs moving right into the hex’s path and causing a laugh to burst from my mouth as the tickling sensation began to overcome me. I concentrated on casting the finite through the giggles silently and finally ceased both spells from myself._

_I took a deep breath and finally leveled my gaze at Snape….Prince. “My turn,” I replied, casting my first spell, “Avis.”_

_There was a loud bang and suddenly a flock of birds burst from my wand causing the class to laugh until I finished my offensive move, “Oppugno.” The little yellow birds suddenly flew at him with a vengeance and he threw his hands up to cover his head, not bothering to throw up a shield as I doubt he expected the spell at all._

_The room stopped their laughing and suddenly looked on in curiosity that such a sweet unsuspecting spell could turn into so much._

_“Finite,” he shouted through the angry tweeting before quickly pointing his wand at me and shouting angrily, “Incarcerous.”_

_I jumped to the side to avoid the ropes before shooting back a hex of my own, the game was on, “Confundus.”_

_He darted out of the way at the last second before hitting me with a Stickfast, “Colloshoo! Everte Statum.”_

_It felt like I’d been hit in the head with a frying pan and I huffed for a second before casting a silent Finite Incantatum and pointed my wand at my opponent casting quickly in succession, “Wingardium Leviosa.” He began to lift into the air and I heard one of the boys in class laugh,_

_“That’s a first year charm.”_

_I_ _said nothing, simply grinned as I continued watching him get ready to lower himself as I cast,_ _"_ _Immobulus_ _," and_ _finally a loud finite that caused his immobilized body to fall from about 8 feet_ _, landing_ _hard onto the masonry. I heard a few gasps, I couldn’t tell if they feared for his safety or they were impressed, at this point I’d take either._

_Still on the ground unmoving, I heard Prince mutter aloud, “Fumos” and watched as the room was covered in a thick fog of smoke. I huffed, annoyed but knew I could get around it._

_“Ventus,” I replied, shooting out a strong enough wind to push aside the fog just in time to see a suit of armour coming at me at a full run. “Good Godric,” I shouted, turning and running while turning back to throw spells at it, “Impedimenta! Reducto!” It slowed it down and hit an arm, which immediately turned to dust, the_ _gust_ _of wind it gave off clearing the rest of the fog._

_It was still coming at me though, sword raised, picking its speed back up as the Impediment jinx wore off.   “Expulso,” I shouted, blasting the other arm and part of the chest apart, though it was still coming at full speed. “Diffindo!” I screamed, watching as it chopped off the head, a now headless, armless suit of armour chasing me. Damn this was not ending well._

_“Give up,” I heard Prince shout confidently and I turned to a stop and glowered,_

_“Not on your life. Erecto,” I shouted, a wall of masonry erecting itself up from the floor to stop the suit of armour from attacking me, hitting the wall at a full run and collapsing into a heap._

_“Defodio,” he shouted in response, gouging a large portion of my wall to the ground to throw spells through._

_“Confringo,” I shouted, tired of these games, and blowing the rest of the wall apart and showering him with the pieces. I was mad now, and tired of this. It was time for this to be over. “Bombarda,” I shouted, him throwing up a shield in response._

_“Incendio,” he replied in response, setting the area ablaze._

_“Aqua Eructo,” I called out, the water putting out the blaze before setting my wand on him, “Expelliarmus.”_

_His wand flew from his hand but he called it back in midair with a quick, “Accio.” Once he had his wand back he cast his curse, “Locomotor Mortis,” which I managed to block with a quick,_

_“Protego.”_

_“Duro,” he sent back to which I ducked and countered with a,_

_“Stupify!” Which he quickly sent back. I dodged it and did a quick roll out of the way when he suddenly sent out a,_

_“Petrificus Totalus. Accio,” and I landed in a stiff heap on the floor wandless. I’d lost. Oh Good Godric I’d lost. I’d just disappointed women everywhere._

_The professor stood up from where he was leaning on one of the student’s desks and clapped once loudly, signally that the duel was over. He released me from my bonds and I slowly sat up groaning a bit. I hadn’t had that big of a workout in a while._

_Prince walked up to where I was currently moving to stand, holding out my wand for me to grab which I nodded my thanks and took in response._

_Finally standing, I eyed the group as a whole. The room was looking on in awe, as though they’d never seen something so exciting in all their lives. I caught eyes with Tom and he nodded, giving me credit for a job well done._

_Except that it wasn’t a job well done, I groaned in annoyance. I’d lost._

_“That was the most challenging duel I’ve_ ever _been in,” Prince told me simply, coming up and shaking my hand, “You’ve impressed me, and that’s quite a challenge.”_

_“I still lost,” I huffed, annoyed._

_“None the less-” he began before I cut him off._

_“No, I lost. I lost and I’ve been banished from the room.” My shoulders slumped and I looked away from him. Not daring to eye the professor as I made my way down the center aisle to my desk, I grabbed my beaded bag and the Defense book I had sitting on the tabletop._

_“Myone,” Alphard began in a voice that sounded like sympathy that I ignored. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I headed out of the room._

_“Girl,” a voice shouted from somewhere in the room and I turned back, only metres from the door. I didn’t say anything, just looked at him waiting for him to say something insulting._

_“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a duel that good,” he said with a hint of a smile before it vanished a second later, “Get back to your seat. You’ve already delayed the start of class.” He then turned from me and moved to the blackboard, enchanting the chalk to begin writing out the lesson._

_I moved back to my seat beside Alphard to see him smiling. “You impressed Professor Vostic,” he said with a grin, “I’ve never seen anyone do that.”_

_I smiled and looked at him curiously, “Really?”_

_“You won’t be staying in this class if you gossip like you’re at a ruddy ladies tea time,” Professor Vostic shouted from the front of the room and I blushed embarrassed. This class was going to be quite interesting._

 


	15. A Lesson from Dumbledore, and Bad News from Dippet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione learns something interesting about the attention span of Riddle, Malfoy, Yaxley, and Black; is taught a bit of history from Professor Dumbledore, and hears some bad news from Headmaster Dippet.

“You lost?” Draco gaped in disbelief.

“I was going against the best dueler in the school, did you expect me to win?” Myone questioned her grandson curiously.

“Well…well yeah,” Draco shrugged in slight disbelief, “I mean, you-you lost. Why’d you even tell me the story? I thought you were little Miss Perfect, great at everything.”

“Well that’s certainly not true,” Abraxas scoffed, “I feel as though I’ve been gypped, I want my money back.”

“Oh hush,” Myone huffed, thumping her husband on the arm in annoyance, “I was telling you how I met our DADA teacher, Vostic, as well as my understanding with Salvatore.”

“So wait, was he really related to Professor Snape?”

“He was Severus’ Uncle,” Myone sighed, “He was a good man.”

“That he was,” Abraxas agreed, “He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

“What happened to him?” Draco questioned curiously.

“I’ll tell you later dear. We should be getting back to where we left off.”

_After DADA, I followed Alphard from the room where we were instantly flanked by Malfoy, Riddle, and Ryland who still seemed incredibly hyped from the duel at the beginning of class._

_“That was bloody brilliant,” Ryland spouted off, pumping his fist in the air, spinning around, and reenacting the duel as we made our way down the hallway. “You just blasted that armour apart.”_

_“It_ was _rather extraordinary,” Riddle agreed with a nod, Alphard and Malfoy nodding along in agreement._

_“I’m actually quite embarrassed,” I grumbled, scratching the back of my head awkwardly, “I’d been so confident and to loose so badly made me look quite foolish.”_

_“Rubbish,” Alphard replied, waving his hand in my direction, “No one’s lasted more than a minute with Prince and the fact that you made it almost five and held your own through the duration shows just how skilled you are. Against any of us you would’ve surely won hands down.”_

_“Well against you most definitely,” Tom agreed, “But speak for yourself Alphard.”_

_“Oh come now Tom, you know you were no match for the skill showed in class today,” Abraxas smirked, clapping him on the back as they made their way down the hall. Tom scowled at the remark but didn’t respond._

_“Hello boys,” a group of Slytherin girls giggled, holding their books tight to their chests and waving cutely as they passed by. I recognized the Carrow girls, Olive Hornsby, that Lestrange girl, and a Rosier; they didn’t seem to notice me amongst the much taller boys that I was surrounded by, which I was thankful for at the moment. It was only when I noticed the group of girls pout amongst themselves and carry on their own conversation as they continued on to whatever their destination was that I realized that the boys completely ignored them all which I found incredibly amusing._

_“Well that was rather entertaining,” I smiled, a skip in my step. Not that I didn’t love Harry and Ron with all my heart but they had been known to trail after any girl that paid them half a mind throughout our years together. These boys, however, seemed to have girls drooling after them and they couldn’t care less. They were too busy talking about my duel. I was the girl they were on about. It was confidence building at the very least._

_“What was?” Ryland asked, looking confused._

_“You ignored those girls,” I replied, looking from Ryland to Alphard, then to Riddle and Malfoy, all giving me looks of confusion in response._

_“What girls?” Tom asked, brows furrowed in confusion as I fought a smirk. They hadn’t even noticed. Probably the most attractive girls in the school all vying for their attention and they didn’t even notice they were there. Suddenly unable to fight it anymore I burst out laughing causing Tom to startle at the suddenness. They were oblivious. The world’s future inner circle of Death Eaters were oblivious to the attentions of the opposite sex. How they’d ever become a force to be reckoned with I’d never understand._

_“Never…Nevermind,” I breathed out heavily between bursts of laughter._

_“She’s having a fit,” Alphard sputtered out, eyes wide._

_“She really is a loon,” Ryland added._

_“No no, nothing like that. I’m fine; just give me a moment.” I struggled to catch my breath as we all stood in the now abandoned corridor. Finally getting my breathing back to a regulated rate I shook my head, “You boys are something else.”_

_Malfoy scoffed at that, “Could say the same about you.”_

_We finally continued on, this time in companionable silence toward the Great Hall when I remembered I was going to meet with Dippet to go over the books and get home this evening._

_“Bugger, I forgot,” I started, earning looks from each of them, “I have a meeting with Dippet during lunch and I’m not eating in the Great Hall; go on without me.”_

_“You sure?” Alphard asked curiously, raising a brow._

_“Yeah, its fine, I’ll meet up with you lot later I suppose,” I lied._

_“Alright,” Malfoy agreed, “We’ll see you this evening then.” I nodded my head and took off toward the Headmaster’s Office; the faster I got there, the faster I’d be home._

* * *

_I arrived in front of the Headmaster’s office and realized one detrimental fact, I had no idea what the password was. So I stood in front of the Gargoyle statue feeling like a complete prat._

_It probably would’ve been wise to ask Tom what the password was, as Head Boy I knew he was privy to that sort of knowledge as I had been when I was Head Girl._

_So instead I stood outside the Gargoyle unsure of how to proceed._

_“Hello, Ms. Macmillan,” a voice I recognized as Professor Dumbledore called out from behind me, causing me to spin and my hair to thump me in the face._

_“Oh, hello Professor Dumbledore,” I replied with a smile._

_“What has you outside the Headmaster’s Office today my dear?” Professor Dumbledore asked curiously, coming to stand beside me in front of the Gargoyle._

_“I was hoping to speak with Headmaster Dippet,” I said with a sigh, “I needed to speak with him regarding the other day when I arrived.”_

_“Ahh yes, of course,” Professor Dumbledore replied before he tilted his head slightly, “I couldn’t help but to notice that you’ve gotten rather close to Mr. Riddle and Mr. Malfoy lately?” I nodded my head but couldn’t help but furrow my brow at the question; remembering Professor Dumbledore’s distrust of Tom._

_After Ron had left Harry and I during the hunt, we’d sometimes talk of the things the deceased Headmaster had told Harry to try and see if there were any things that would clue us in to what or where the Horcruxes could be. Harry once told me of the late Professor’s distrust of Tom; he must have had it even now and was, perhaps, wary of my quick friendship with him. Well, maybe friendship wasn’t the right word._

_“They are quite kind and friendly,” I answered with a nod, “Why do you ask?”_

_“No reason,” Professor Dumbledore quickly assured with a smile before changing the subject, “The Headmaster uses previous Headmasters of Hogwarts as his passwords. This term the password is Amrose Swott; are you familiar with him?”_

_“Not particularly Professor,” I admitted, remembering the small blurb I’d read about him in Hogwarts: A History, “All I remember is that he was Headmaster from 1680 to 1724 when he died and that he taught Divination prior to being Headmaster.”_

_“That is correct,” Professor Dumbledore nodded, “Something that is not commonly known amongst the witches and wizards anymore about the late Headmaster Swott was that his motto was ‘Ora et Labora.’ Do you know what that means?”_

_“Ora et Labora?” I repeated curiously, earning a nod from someone I considered a mentor years from now, “That would mean pray and work. It refers to the monastic practice of working and praying, generally associated with its use in the Rule of St. Benedict. Was Amrose Swott Christian?”_

_“He was,” Professor Dumbledore nodded._

_“But that seems so odd,” I muttered aloud without realizing it._

_“How so?” he asked curiously, causing me to look up._

_“Well,” I sputtered out, “In the 17 th and 18th centuries Christians considered people who performed witchcraft to be in alignment with the Devil and burned them for their sins. Now, of course, that isn’t the case as many Muggleborn witches bring their Muggle faith with them into the wizarding world but it seems that many of the old Pureblood families still maintain that Christianity is cruel and intolerant and they even use this toward their hatred of Muggles and Muggleborns to this day. It just seems a bit odd that in a time when such things were so prevalent, that a wizard would choose to be of such a denomination. I mean, the Witchcraft Act wasn’t even passed by Parliament until 1735, 11 years after the Headmaster’s death.”_

_“I am thoroughly impressed my dear,” Professor Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling, “And to think when I asked you on your knowledge of Amrose Swott, you replied with ‘Not much’.” I blushed, embarrassed but smiled at the compliment none the less. “I shant keep you any longer; the Headmaster is still up there, I believe, and you now know the password. I shall see you in class tomorrow, my dear.”_

_“Yes, of course Professor,” I replied, giving him a nod as he turned on his heel to head in the other direction, “Thank you Professor.” He simply raised his hand and gave it a quick wave before disappearing around a corner._

_Alone, I turned back to the Gargoyle and spoke clearly, “Amrose Swott.” The Gargoyle spun and swirled to reveal the staircase to the Headmaster’s office, which I took quickly._

_Reaching the top step I entered the room and spotted the man standing before me as though waiting, “I heard the Gargoyle out front, he’s louder than you’d anticipate.” I nodded as he led me past him, pointing out the chair in front of his desk, which I noted was littered with books._

_“As you can see I’ve been inspecting the books you were found amongst,” he informed me flatly as I reexamined the books on the desk to see that they were in fact, the books that had fallen on me in the library._

_“Professors Dumbledore, Vostic, Fletcher, and myself have all examined the texts and have found nothing adverse on any of them.” He must have noticed my look of horror as he continued, “They knew not what they were looking for my dear, just that they were looking for something abnormal, which none could find. You are more than welcome to look for yourself once they have been returned to the library this evening but I can see no harm in any of them. They are as harmless as any other book in the library with the exception of the restricted section, of course.”_

_My mind was reeling; nothing. NOTHING!_

_“So…what do I do now Professor,” I asked, wincing at the somewhat desperate and whiny tone to my voice._

_“That I am afraid I am unable to answer,” he responded with a sigh, “I don’t know of anyone working on Time Travel at the moment but perhaps you could do some research of your own. You know what is to happen better than I, perhaps you would know whom to approach on the subject.”_

_I shook my head dejectedly, I had no idea who was experimenting on time travel, perhaps someone in the Department of Mysteries but I certainly didn’t want to approach the Ministry with my knowledge of the future and had no idea of anyone specifically within the department that I could trust. I was on my own._

_“I am truly sorry that I am unable to be of more help to you my dear,” he said, coming around his desk to place his hand on my shoulder, “If there is anything you need from me, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask.”_

_I nodded sadly and sniffled hard to stop tears, I would not cry over this, after everything that’s happened to me, I would not cry over_ this _._

_“Go get some lunch my dear, make some new friends; live.” I nodded but I'd stopped listening, I was already planning for this evening when I could get back into the library and get those books to begin going through; despite them being devoid of charms or hexes, they may contain something useful and I wasn’t going to stop until I was home. “Off you go dear,” he said flatly, the door to the stairs opening on their own and telling me that I was no longer welcome. I smiled, bid goodbye, and scurried down the stairs to lunch, I may as well eat._


	16. Alchemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione’s ready to take her much awaited Alchemy class and Merlin knows she’s excited.

_After lunch was Ancient Runes; I was already quite good with Runes and had even noticed that the assigned text had been one that I'd read through in sixth year so I felt more than prepared. Something I hadn’t felt in any of my other classes in this time as of yet._

_When I came in, I found that most of the other students had already arrived and had begun translating the boards’ Runes into English._

_I could see Riddle and Alphard sitting side by side but noticed that both Ryland and Malfoy were missing, they must not have been interested in Ancient Runes. I also spotted Charlus Potter who was suspiciously devoid of his two friends and at one of the only tables with an empty seat so, with a shrug, I moved to sit beside him._

_He looked up startled as my chair scratched across the floor and I moved into the seat as he smiled and said, "Oh, hello. Fancy seeing you here."_

_"Hello Charlus," I smiled and he grinned, "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"_

_"The best Gryffindor dueler of Hogwarts, course not," he smirked, sliding his books out of the way to allow me more room._

_"I wouldn't go that far," I replied sitting down quickly before he could change his mind._

_"Come again? That was a spectacular display in Defense. Very impressed; I plan to be an auror after Hogwarts and I can say I'd hate to go up against you Ms. Macmillan."_

_"Call me Myone," I replied, earning a smile from him._

_"Really," he replied, almost on disbelief._

_"Course," I shrugged, "Why?"_

_"No reason...Myone," he said with a grin. I rolled my eyes at his odd look before turning to eye the board; it was just some Nordic Runes in Elder Futhark; quite rudimentary really._

_"It says the test is next Tuesday," I said, turning to look at him curiously, "Test over what?"_

_"What?" he asked curiously, looking at me in awe. I glanced around and realized that everyone was in various states of completion and that they were writing it all out on parchment and had their books open and being heavily used for reference. I looked back to Charlus and noticed him look at me curiously._

_"You’re rather brilliant aren't you?" he commented, pointing the feathered end of his quill at my nose. I crossed my eyes to look at the end of it and he moved it out of my face._

_"Well," I shrugged, remembering the other classes I'd attended in this time had ended completely different, "I wouldn't say brilliant. I just have an affinity for certain subjects I guess."_

_"I still say your brilliant," he scoffed, "More than welcome to sit by me in any class you like."_

_I smiled at that; it wasn't as though I had any trouble discerning between him and Harry, they looked completely different; he wore no glasses, had light brown hair and had a temperament that I found more familiar of Remus and Sirius' stories of his son James; but it was nice to talk to a Potter, I missed that._

_"So what's the test over?" I questioned again, earning an embarrassed look from him._

_"Oh yes, well..."_

_"Well what?"_

_"I don't actually know."_

_"What does that mean?"_

_"Nobbs, Fen, and I may have skived our classes last week Thursday to prank Pringle."_

_"Who?" I asked confused._

_"Bloody Pringle, the caretaker here; biggest git you've ever met, trust me. Even uses corporal punishment on the students; takes pleasure in it.” I froze, I'd always thought Filch’s desires and stories about stringing up students were just to scare the first years, but did Charlus mean to say that they were real?_

_"He can't really use punishments like that though can he?" I asked in disbelief._

_"Course he does," he replied, "He's mad, he is.”_

_When my eyes grew wide he quickly continued, “I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head though Myone, he doesn’t bother pureblooded dames like yourself too much unless you give good reason.” That didn’t make me feel any better._

_The Professor entered in through a side door I presumed to be his office and class begun, apparently we would be brushing up on our Elder Futhark. Good, they needed it._

* * *

_Once Ancient Runes ended, Charlus and I parted ways; we were not in Alchemy together, and he informed me that students were chosen for Alchemy rather than chose to take it, he however was not one of them. Despite everything, I was finding myself to be quite excited at the aspect of going to Alchemy. It was one subject that I’d always found immensely interesting but it wasn’t offered in my time and there wasn’t much text on it, so I wasn’t particularly familiar with it._

_I spotted Riddle up ahead and couldn’t help but shout out to him. A large part of me wanted to stay as far away from him as I could while I was here but the more practical side of me knew that such an idea was impossible. We shared so many classes and he always seemed to pop up everywhere. It was better if I kept an eye on him while I was here, made sure he didn’t get into anything that could get any other students killed or expelled. “Riddle!”_

_He turned surprised before relaxing a bit once he’d noticed me, “Ms. Macmillan.”_

_“What is with you boys at this school and calling me Ms. Macmillan, its Myone,” I replied once I’d caught up, walking beside him as we made our way down the hall._

_“Then I must ask you to call me Tom, you seem more than accustomed to call Black and Yaxley by their given names but seem a bit hesitant with Malfoy and myself.”_

_“Oh,” I replied, feigning a hard thought on the subject when really it stemmed from my incredible dislike of them in my time, “I guess I’d never really thought much on the topic.”_

_“Mmm,” he replied, “So where are you off to? Am I to assume Alchemy, similar to myself?”_

_“I am,” I replied, a smile crossing my lips that I couldn’t stop, I really was quite excited to take Alchemy, and I knew that once I’d gotten back to my time I’d bore Ron and Harry with what it was like for hours. Well it would bore them, it would still be just as exciting to me. “Tell me about it,” I said to him excitedly, “What have I missed, I’ve never taken Alchemy before.”_

_“Ah, well Alchemy is a seventh year only class and seeing as this is November you haven’t gotten too far behind. I’d say the Professor will first determine your affinity: solid, liquid, gas, or plasma; better known as earth, water, air, or fire. There is also the rare fifth element: energy but no one in class has that.”_

_“Alright, what else?”_

_“Well, I’m plasma,” he began, to which I nodded my head, “And how you begin all depends on what you are. Each element has a different level and we all get books on our element; whatever it is. For instance I learned that high level plasma manipulators can control fiendfyre.”_

_“Really?” I asked curiously and surprised._

_“Exciting isn’t it?” he replied, looking at his hand and turning it over, “Some even have been known to wandlessly create fireballs with their hands. I’d very much like to learn that.” I froze at that; I didn’t remember Voldemort ever being known for creating fireballs; did he not learn it? There were so many things that weren’t fitting together between what I knew then and what I was learning that it was a bit disquieting._

_“What is it?” he asked curiously, glancing over at me, “Something wrong?”_

_“No, nothing,” I replied, quickly shaking my head._

_“Well,” he continued, reaching the door handle and pulling it open for me, “Here we are.” I walked in ahead of him and glanced around curiously; there were only three long tables, each with three chairs all close to the front of the room. The surrounding area was filled with odd metals and rocks, little pools of water flowing both forward and back, flames dancing near the ceiling and windows letting in a strong breeze that rustled my hair. All in all, this room seemed different than all the others at Hogwarts._

_It seemed as though half the students were already there and two had gathered around one of the small ponds. It was a Slytherin girl and a Gryffindor boy that I quickly recognized as the boy who walked me to class after Potions yesterday, Caspar Crouch. “That’s Caspar Crouch and Amethyst Burke both liquid elementals.”_

_I nodded and he led me to the left most seat in the middle row, “I sit front middle but this is the closest, and only, empty seat available. You’ll be beside two Ravenclaws so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about them knocking about.”_

_“Alright, thanks,” I nodded, settling into my spot and grinning from ear to ear uncontrollably. This really was very exciting. Alchemy; never in my wildest dreams._

_“Ello,” a boy suddenly stated from behind me causing me to turn and my eyes to grow uncontrollably wide. The boy looked like a young, carefree, less scarred, dark haired, Professor Lupin, “Lyall Lupin, at your service.” I nodded my head dumbly and was sure that my mouth hung open in disbelief, “I’m a Solid.”_

_“What?”_

_“A solid – you know, Earth Manipulation,” he elaborated due to my blank stare._

_“Yes, yes, of course, good to meet you,” I replied, finally moving to shake his hand, “I’m-”_

_“I know. I’m familiar with your incredible duel with my friend Salvatore; it’s all he’s been talking about really. Quite impressive.” I nodded, feeling as though I was gaining praise from my favorite Lycan Professor. Realizing that I was not all there, he moved past me and sat to my right, directly behind Tom who looked back at me, nodded, and turned back to the front of the room; odd._

_“Sorry I’m late,” someone suddenly shouted from the back of the room, causing us to turn curiously and for me to swear that I was facing someone dead yet again. I hadn’t really seen him since the Forest of Dean, more specifically Malfoy Manor. The snatcher who stole my scarf._

_I hadn’t learned his name until much later when they were identifying the bodies that had died on Hogwarts grounds with the Identification Spell all aurors were equipped with: Scabior Leroux; French, if I’m not mistaken._

_“Tyce you’re not late yet, ol’ Flamel hasn’t arrived yet,” Lyall beside me called out, earning a nod from the boy._

_“Great,” he smiled, taking the seat on the other side of Lyall Lupin and kicking his feet up onto the desk, earning a scowl from both myself and Tom; making me slightly uncomfortable to realize that we had such similar reactions._

_“Ello,” Leroux called out leaning forward to see around Lupin and waving, “Name’s Tyce Leroux. Air, Gas, whichever takes your fancy.”_

_“Charmed,” I replied, attempting to hold back a scowl, to which Tom snickered._

_“I hurried thinking ol’ Flamel’d be here by now; if I’d known he’d take his sweet time, I’d’ve done the same,” Leroux scoffed, leaning his chair back onto two legs. He was worse than the boys in my time and here I’d thought all the boys here had respect and acted at least semi-respectable; especially Ravenclaws._

_“It seems that I just wished to allow you one period in which you were able to arrive on time,” an older man stated, entering the room in severely dated robes and a very old fashioned hat; my eyes widened in disbelief as I recognized him, Nicolas Flamel._

_I heard Leroux’s chair hit the ground instantly with a loud bang before silence filled the room while Flamel made his way to the front of the room with a smile on his face._

_“Welcome to another exciting day of Alchemy,” he said with a smile, “We have a new student with us today, Ms. Macmillan, please stand.”_

_I followed his instruction and he moved toward me smiling, beckoning me toward him and a few steps away from my desk. I moved as requested and he began to circle me with interest and I moved my head so I could keep my eyes on him._

_“Mmmm, now let’s see here,” he began, stopping directly in front of me, “Cast a shield charm, I can enhance it; then hand me your wand.”_

_I did as he asked and felt the shield protect me in a warm and comforting way as he enhanced it before he stepped back. He pointed his wand at me and cast out a nonverbal at me that had me nervous and startled._

_From out of his wand came gust of water swirling to resemble a hurricane-like dome and within it was a thin strip of flame as rocks disrupted the ground below me, jostling me back and forth._

_Without a wand I was more fearful than usual, and the doubt I originally felt about being safe in a classroom was dwindling quickly. I closed my eyes tight and bristled before I realized that nothing had happened. Finding that I was left unscathed, I looked up to see a stone wall along the outside of my protective shield and the elements all dissipated._

_“It would seem you are a solid manipulator,” Professor Flamel smiled, going to the far wall and grabbing a book from a pile before tossing it to me, “You may want to read up.” He then turned to the collective group, “Everyone tuck in; it’s time to get started.”_

* * *

_“So solids then?” Tom smirked, walking beside me._

_“Yes,” I replied, giving him an odd look, “Why?”_

_“No reason,” he shrugged, “If you fully master it you can control plants and the terrain but don’t get your hopes up, it’s quite rare.” I nodded and walked along with him as he continued, “Where are you off to?”_

_“Library, why?”_

_“Well we always meet up there as well before supper, your welcome to join us if you wish.”_

_“Alright,” I nodded._

“Well of course we were already there,” Abraxas told Draco, “We weren’t in Alchemy and our Herbology class got out early when a Snargaluff attacked the Ravenclaw seventh year Bertram Higgs. We were actually talking about Myone and her display in Defense before they’d come in.”

_“Can you believe it?” Ryland huffed, shaking his head from side to side in disbelief, “I mean, it’s a bit more than I could believe. I’ve never seen a bird like that before.”_

_“Agreed,” Alphard nodded, eyebrows raised curiously, “And the way she speaks, it’s as though she were raised by mudblood aurors.”_

_“You’ve noticed that as well, have you?” I nodded, eying him, “She called Tom, Riddle…just Riddle no prefix. Even the mudbloods know better than that.”_

_“Tom doesn’t seem to mind her though,” Ryland noted curiously, “First dame I’ve seen him near that hadn’t made him want to scratch his own eyes out…or hers.”_

_“He doesn’t trust her,” Alphard noted, causing me to blanch a bit._

_“What?” I asked, trying to sound surprised by the comment._

_“He doesn’t trust her,” Alphard repeated, turning to stare at me, “Oh, don’t look at me that way Brax you know I’m right. He’s probably even told you that much. If Tom hates anything it’s the unknown and that dame is full of secrets. I have a feeling that’s the only reason he’s bothering with her.”_

_“That true?” Ryland asked, leaning in closer, “Tell me the truth Brax.”_

_“It’s true,” I sighed, knowing Tom would kill me later for breaching confidentiality._

_“So what have you found?” Ryland asked curiously, “She’s not a mudblood is she? I wouldn’t want to have sullied myself, I mean the brawd touched me and all.”_

_“From what we’ve found, we don’t think she’s a mudblood,” I informed the table, Ryland sighing with relief._

_“Good,” he huffed, “You really had me nervous there mate.”_

_“Besides she’s in Traditionals so I doubt Dippet’d let her in if she were; the Board would have his head.”_

_“True,” Alphard nodded._

_“We also figured out that she’s quite powerful,” I told them, Ryland scoffing at that._

_“Obviously,” he huffed, “You saw the duel earlier.”_

_“No I mean, she knows wandless nonverbal spells,” I corrected, their eyes growing wide._

_“You’re yankin’ me,” Ryland scoffed to which I shook my head in the negative._

_“Blimey,” Alphard sighed, “She’s something else.”_

_“Tom’s right interested in her,” I added, “Wants us to get in good; find out what she knows.”_

_“We can do that,” Ryland nodded, “Or at least I can. Alphard’s too busy with his betrothed.”_

_Alphard sneered at Ryland and huffed, “I’ve already asked her to Hogsmeade and she’s agreed.”_

_“Who? Flint?” I asked confused._

_“No Myone,” he responded and I ignored the odd feeling that he was going to know more about her than I would when it was my idea to begin with, arse._

_“Who’s chaperoning?” Ryland asked curiously, to which I looked up in interest as well._

_“Said she didn’t need one,” he responded and our eyes grew wide in disbelief._

_“She really is odd isn’t she,” I couldn’t help but say aloud._

_“Oh hello,” I heard her voice come from a table away as she came toward us, Tom beside her._

_“Oh hello, Ms. Macmillan,” I replied, moving to stand before she scoffed at me and grabbed an extra chair from the table beside ours to sit._

_“It’s Myone. I’ve already told everyone else. You have to call me that too Malfoy; sorry Abraxas, Tom’s told me that I have to call you that as well.”_

_I nodded but looked at Tom curiously who shrugged, everyone knew you couldn’t get someone else’s permission like that. I still had to tell Tom that Alphard and Ryland knew she was suspicious; I guess it could wait until later._

_“So what are you all working on?” she asked, pulling out her books from her bag that we were now realizing shouldn’t fit in such a small area. She seemed to notice our blatant staring and glanced up, “It’s an undetectable extension charm as well as a lightweight charm. It’s much easier than a trunk.” We all looked to each other before eying her in surprise, this girl was certainly odd at the very least._

_She now had a stack of textbooks on the tabletop and I noticed an odd one that I didn’t recognize. I looked at Tom and nodded down to it. Noticing what I did he reached over and plucked it from the stack before reading the title aloud, “The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.”_

_“What? No, give that to me,” she hurriedly replied, ripping it from his hands and stuffing it back into her bag, “Now, as I was saying, what are we working on?”_

_“Nothing much,” Alphard replied, noting the odd air from the book’s mention as Tom and I shared a look. He wanted that book._

_“Sooo,” Ryland began, awkwardly looking amongst the group, “You’re a pureblood.”_

_She paused nervously before nodding, “Yes. Macmillan is a pureblood name so that makes me a pureblood; why?”_

_“No reason, it’s just that we haven’t really met many purebloods like you,” Alphard added, “Though we haven’t met any Durmstrang girls before.”_

_“I wasn’t even sure there were any,” Ryland added; Tom and I just observing the interaction. She seemed to visibly relax as though she were off the hook; if only._

_“Oh, well there aren’t many girls there,” she replied with a shrug, “And many of the girls that are can be brutish.”_

_“But all the students there are pure, aren’t they,” Ryland said excitedly, “I heard that they don’t let in mudbloods. I wish I could’ve gone there.”_

_She flinched but didn’t say anything, though she did wrinkle her nose in distaste; many pureblooded girls didn’t even like the mention of mudbloods but I’d seen her talking with that Mudblood Gryffindor so I knew that wasn’t the case, she was probably someone who didn’t agree with the views, a mudblood sympathizer. But it didn’t matter, Tom wanted to know more about her so that’s what we were going to do._


	17. Hogsmeade Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for Hogsmeade and Myone is off with Alphard, but they just had to run into some of Grindlewald’s men didn’t they; and you just know Hermione won’t let that go.

_I made sure to get a few of the books that had landed on me from the library before heading to dinner and now I sat in the Gryffindor common room on the floor in front of the hearth with the stack laid out in front of me as I scoured over them in concentration._

_I had already been here longer than I should’ve been. Three days. I’d been trapped here for three days with no change and that was not to be tolerated._

_I poured over the books, sitting on my knees on the floor and using firelight from the hearth to illuminate the pages. I sighed, I wasn’t getting anywhere; I leaned back to rest against the couch and jolted forward when I realized that I leaned against a person’s shins rather than the couch cushions. I tilted my head back and eyed the upside down figure of Norbert Leach grinning down at me. Charlus Potter sat beside him eating a boiled sweet of some sort and Fenrir Greyback was in the arm chair on his other side, sitting sideways with his legs hanging over the arm and moving them back and forth ever so slightly to kick the couch’s armrest._

_“Sorry,” I said quickly, sliding closer to the books on the floor and away from the three boys now sitting in the seating behind me and making me uncomfortable._

_“So,” Greyback began, kicking one of his feet to prop it up onto the back of the couch beside him and right above Leach’s head, “What ‘cha workin’ on?”_

_“Things,” I replied, slightly defensively, “Important things…”_

_“Interesting,” Greyback, replied, rolling his eyes and letting his head lean back onto the other chair arm so he stared at me upside down. “You look better like this,” he said candidly._

_“Lovely,” I replied, rolling my own eyes at that before going back to the books._

_“There’s a Hogsmeade trip this weekend before the game,” Leach suddenly stated excitedly, “Have you heard?”_

_I looked back at them, unsure if he was talking to me or not. Realizing that he was I nodded, “I have heard, yes.”_

_“Hello Mesdames Shell; how are you?” Charlus suddenly asked which drew away my attention to the two twin red headed fourth year girls that were giggling to themselves as they approached the seating area by the fireplace._

_“Hello Mr. Potter,” the first girl said with a smile._

_“We’re good,” the second added, “Just leaving…”_

_“…the scene of a future crime,” the first girl finished, placing her hand in front of her mouth daintily and giggling with her twin. They then suddenly both turned toward me and smiled, putting their hands out to shake. I stood with a huff, my back cracking and shook their hands._

_“Her…Myone Macmillan,” I informed them to which they nodded and smiled,_

_“Quintessa,” the first girl stated._

_“Bessandra,” added the second before they both finished with,_

_“Shell. Call us…”_

_“Tessie…”_

_“And Bessie.”_

_“Well it’s lovely to meet you Tessie, Bessie,” I replied, nodding to each in turn as they grinned. Suddenly screaming erupted from the girl’s dorms and a crowd I estimated to be second and third years came thundering down the stairs as a putrid stench began to permeate throughout the hallway and down into the common room._

_“Well…” Bessie grinned, and I noticed that her hair was slightly curlier than her sisters, I’d be able to keep them straight that way._

_“We’re off,” Tessie finished and the two looked just like I’d imagine Fred and George would’ve looked like as girls._

_Greyback suddenly started to laugh, still lazing about on the armchair as the girls disappeared out the portrait hole, “Have fun up there tonight Myone.”_

_There was suddenly a stampede from the boy’s dormitories and the fifth and sixth year boys had their hands covering their mouths as they coughed and sputtered. I packed up my books into my beaded bag and grinned._

_“Have fun up there tonight Fen,” I replied, turning toward him as his foot fell off the top of the couch and thumped onto Leach’s head and then onto his bollocks._

_“Ow,” Norbert shouted, wincing as he threw the boot covered foot off his lap and onto the floor to hold one hand to his head while the other cradled his pants in pain. I laughed and moved to the dorms for sleep. Apparently I wasn’t going home tonight either, but tomorrow…tomorrow I’d be gone._

* * *

_Wednesday I found out quite a few things all at once. I learned that Greyback was in my Potions class. Monday they had left me to my own devices to hunt down my potions classroom saying that they were busy and needed elsewhere, when Greyback was skiving off anyway. What a prat!_

_Charms was boring as usual, followed by Transfiguration where I sat beside Salvatore again, only this time we didn’t fight about me talking with Malfoy and Riddle; this time we were able to settle into a companionable silence. The fight in DADA seemed to have been enough to get on Prince’s good side and we went through class as friends._

_After lunch was Transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore again, who I was more or less avoiding as to not change too much of the future. He was so involved in everything up until Professor Snape killed him that I knew if he found out what I knew it would change too much so I kept to avoiding him and dodging his attempts at getting to know the new student in his house._

_And then finally, Traditional Studies. I don’t know what happened but I’d forgotten about the test on hand shaking. As ridiculous as it had been when the girls were studying it the morning before, it had completely slipped my mind; though in my defense I hadn’t planned on still being here when the test came around at the time._

_Ottilie ran to catch up with me after the class, her book held tightly to her chest and her hair cascading over her shoulders as she slowed to my pace, “So; how’d you do?”_

_“Can I do worse than dreadful,” I responded, looking at her rather sadly and definitely embarrassed._

_“It’ll be alright. You probably did better than you think. Madam Black will post the scores at the end of the week and you’ll most likely be pleasantly surprised.”_

_“Perhaps,” I thought rather solemnly. I knew I’d be gone by the end of the week and the idea that I wasn’t going to get my terrible score was both relieving and frustrating. I’d never been generally fearful…I am a Gryffindor after all, and to be nervous over a grade seemed rather ridiculous; but when seven years of hard work suddenly fall to the wayside because I’m in another time period…no._

_No matter how long I was going to be here I needed to show effort. As much as I hated to imagine it, there was a possibility that my confidence in going home was incorrectly placed. Just because I was so sure that I’d be home before the day’s end didn’t mean it was true. I needed to prepare myself that perhaps it’d be a few days, a week max before I made it back to 1999. And if I was going to be here for any length of time I needed to put in the effort required just like any other student. If I was going to be here I was going to have to work as though I was a student here. I wouldn’t be getting another horrific score on a Traditional Studies exam. That was for sure._

_“You alright,” Ottilie asked curiously, leaning over slightly to get a better look at my face._

_“Fine,” I responded, taking a deep breath, “Just not quite used to being here yet.”_

_“That’s alright,” she smiled, “You’ll be okay.”_

_I couldn’t help but smile at that. She really was very nice for a Slytherin; I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d still be this nice if she knew that I wasn’t really a pureblood. I began to hope no one here ever found out._

_“Myone,” a voice called, forcing Ottilie and I to stop and turn to the source, seeing Mal-Abraxas, Tom, and Ryland all just a bit down the corridor, moving to catch up with us._

_“Just got out of Traditionals, yeah?” Ryland asked, swinging an arm over my shoulder and grinning, Tom on his right and Abraxas on Ottilie’s left._

_“Ugh, I don’t want to talk about it,” I huffed annoyed, pulling away from his arm and walking briskly ahead._

_“Wha’ happened?” I heard Abraxas ask a bit of a ways back to Ottilie._

_“She didn’t do as well as she’d hoped,” she responded in a tone that suggested that she was surprised that they were even talking to her, as though she were beneath their notice._

_“Ahh,” Tom said with what I could only assume was a nod of understanding._

_“You can stop talking about me as though I wasn’t here,” I responded, turning and moving toward them quickly, “I get it, yeah. I’m not good at Traditional Studies. I was raised where it didn’t matter all that much and in school I just sort of ignored people who really seemed bothered by my ignorance on the subject. I didn’t have to take a class where it was pointed out how stupid I am. But the least you could do is not talk about me like I’m not around when I can clearly hear every word you say.” I turned from them then and headed toward the Great Hall for supper in a huff._

_“Myone,” the boys called at varying intervals, attempting to call me back. I ignored them and continued on._

_After supper I went to the library to investigate a way home and was quickly joined by Ottilie herself._

_“Look Ms. Mac-Myone I’m, I’m sorry about what I said before, to the boys. I should’ve thought about how you’d feel.”_

_“Its fine,” I responded, looking up at her with a small smile, “It’s not as though it’s a secret that I’m terrible in that class.” My smile grew a bit wider then and I laughed._

_Ottilie laughed with me and smiled back, “You are rather terrible at Traditional Studies aren’t you? On another note you seem to be rather close to Messrs. Malfoy, Riddle, and Yaxley. I don’t know of anyone who can talk to them the way you do without getting hexed; though I never see them bother talking with ladies at all. It was the first time any of them had ever even engaged me in conversation before.”_

_“Really?” I asked in disbelief, rather surprised that they didn’t even talk to those in their own house, “But you’re a Slytherin.”_

_“Even more reason if you ask me,” she responded with a click of her tongue, “Most of the Slytherin girls are part of the Green and Silver Love Patrol.”_

_“I heard Sn-Prince refer to that on Monday. What is that?”_

_“It’s the girls who fancy themselves in love with Malfoy and Riddle and to a lesser extent Black and Yaxley. They practically follow them everywhere.”_

_“I’ve been around the boys quite a bit the last few days and I haven’t noticed anything like that,” I responded a bit confused. I remembered those girls flirt with them a bit but not to the degree Ottilie was indicating._

_“You’re lucky then. When they realize how close you are to the four, they’ll probably try to kill you,” Ottilie laughed, though I didn’t find it a lick funny._

_“Sorry,” she amended quickly, seeing my face, “It’s just surprising how quickly you showed up here and how you’re already part of their little quartet. It’s just odd, but interesting. I think school will be a bit different for our last year with you here. It’ll help break up the monotony.”_

_We continued on in silence for a few moments before she suddenly asked, “Oh, what are you doing Saturday? It’ll be your first Hogsmeade day.”_

_“Oh, Alphard is taking me around,” I told her and her eyebrows practically disappeared under her bangs, “Alphard? Who’s your escort?”_

_“Why does everyone keep asking me that? I don’t need a ruddy escort to follow me round. If I’ve got to bring someone around with me everywhere what was the point of him coming along to begin with, I may as well've just taken the ‘escort’ instead.”_

_“You better be careful not to be seen by Madam Black on Saturday then,” Ottilie said, eyes wide._

_“Why? Otherwise she’d lecture me about Traditional Studies and what’s proper?”_

_“Sure,” Ottilie nodded, wincing a bit, “That’s why.”_

* * *

_Time seemed to go by quickly and I soon found it to be Saturday morning, Hogsmeade day. Alphard had only mentioned Hogsmeade once since the invitation, just to be sure that I still remembered that he’d asked and that I hadn’t agreed to go with anyone else._

_Why he thought I was being invited by someone else was anyone’s guess. I stood in the courtyard, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to keep warm and knowing that I’d need to purchase a jacket while in the village._

_“Well ‘ello there,” Norbert smiled, Charlus and Gre-Fenrir on either side of him, “What has you out and about on this cold day?”_

_“Hmm,” I responded, pretending to think it over, “What has me standing in the cold with you lot…perhaps…could this be a Hogsmeade day?”_

_“It is,” Charlus shouted, his glove covered hands shooting up into the air in excitement, “Its Hogsmeade DAY!”_

_I couldn't help but laugh at Charlus' enthusiasm and he grinned widely. Norbert meanwhile, moved toward me and smiled, leaning over me with his towering height and placing his arm on my shoulder as though I were an armrest._

_"Well, I just wanted to inform you that if you need someone to show you around, I'd be happy to volunteer."_

_"Sorry," I replied, stepping away from him and watching him stagger a bit at the loss of a leaning post, "I'm already going with Black."_

_"Which one?" Charlus asked curiously and I looked at him oddly._

_"Which one?" I repeated curiously, "Which one, what?"_

_"Which Black?" Charlus clarified, "There's Alph and Orion."_

_"Alph?"_

_"Alphard," he replied._

_"Course it'd be Alphard," Fenrir replied with a shrug, "She's only been with that lot since she's been here."_

_I scoffed at that but didn't refute it as it wasn't entirely wrong._

_"Sorry I'm late," a voice called out from behind the group, slightly out of breath. I turned to see Alphard running to catch up and I smiled._

_"That's alright, I was just talking with Fen, Charlus, and Norbert."_

_"Why are you the only one she has a nickname for?" Norbert asked with jealous curiosity toward his friend._

_I did it because it made it easier to separate the boy beside me and the man who attacked Remus, Bill, and Lavender. It was the only thing I could do to not try to rip him apart and I knew I couldn't change time. What if me getting rid of Greyback meant that Remus was never a werewolf? That would mean that the Marauders would've never been Animagi and everything would be different and not necessarily in a good way. No, I needed to think of them as completely different people, for the sake of my sanity._

_"Well I still say it’s not fair," I heard Norbert huff and realized they were still talking about nicknames. He suddenly turned to stare at me and said, "Call me Nobbs."_

_"Nobbs?" I repeated with what I'm sure was a very odd look._

_"Yeah," he replied with a grin._

_"Um, well…alright I guess," I said a bit skeptically with a shrug._

_His grin widened, “Wonderful. Well on that note, we’ll take our leave so you can enjoy your afternoon with ol’ Alphie.”_

_“Don’t call me that, mudblood,” Alphard huffed, glaring at Norbert before turning and walking down the path toward the village. I stood frozen in place. Alphard had seemed so nice, he’d seemed so kind and helpful that, to hear him say mudblood like that with such hatred made me cringe and grab my scarred arm as it stung._

_I didn’t hear the word mudblood much anymore now that the war was over but when Harry, Ron, and I had attended some of the Death Eater trials they would scream it at me and it would always make my scar sting. I always thought it was just my mind remembering the pain but there is no telling if Bellatrix used a curse on it that would force me to remember. I’d heard it a few times since I’ve been here in this time but this was the first time I’d heard it with such malice._

_“Are you coming Myone?” Alphard questioned curiously from a few yards away. I nodded quickly and ran to catch up, telling myself that it was just how he was raised, that he didn’t know any better, that he’d help Sirius and be blasted off the tapestry; he couldn’t be so bad._

_We had just gone into a shop where I’d used a bit of my money (from my Order of Merlin that I kept on hand in my bag) to get a jacket, gloves, and a hat. I figured I’d need it for the newly chill weather and I didn’t have the appropriate attire in my bag._

_We were standing just outside Gladrags Wizardwear when I spotted something odd, a man in a long hooded cloak moving quickly toward Hogshead. Why would he do that? Who was he?_

_Suddenly my breathing quickened and my eyes widened in shock. A Death Eater. I’d thought they were gone by now. The war was over, we’d chased the remaining Death Eaters into hiding; Harry, Ron, and I. What in the world was he doing out in public?_

_He was moving about in the shadows, glancing around himself cautiously._

_“My…” Harry started before I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him with me, not bothering to let him finish his statement as we made our move._

_“Look Harry,” I said rather shocked, pointing toward where the masked man was now being joined by two others, “They look suspiciously like Death Eaters.” Harry didn’t respond, but his hand was getting a bit clammy which was odd as it didn’t usually do that. “But I don’t understand why they’d be out like this on a Hogsmeade Day, knowing we were coming into town.   And why are they going into Aberforth’s place? They’re going to get themselves sent straight to Azkaban like this._

_“Look Harry, we’d better go in and see Mr. Dumbledore; see if he knows anything.”_

_“Who’s Harry?” Harry finally said, retching his hand from mine._

_“Wha?” I sputtered out, turning to look at him and yell that there wasn’t time for these games, when I realized that it wasn’t indeed a game, it wasn’t Harry at all; it was Alphard. But why had I thought it was Harry? Suddenly my eyes grew wide and frightened, I’d regressed back to the war. I suspected that I had a bit of PTSD but to go fully back and think that I was back in the war was incredibly unsettling, “I’m sorry Alphard, I’m so sorry.”_

_“What, what happened to you?” he asked curiously, his eyes narrowing suspiciously._

_“It, that…I…we still should see what’s going on,” I said, grabbing his hand again and pulling him into the Hogshead._

_“You still haven’t answered my question,” Alphard whispered furiously as I pulled him down to crouch behind a table near the bar where I had a pain view of the hooded man._

_“Shhh, later,” I refuted, crawling closer to the man who I noticed was now being joined by someone else._

_“Sigurd,” the newly arrived man greeted to the seated cloaked one as he joined him and the hooded man gave him a glass with what I assumed to be fire whiskey._

_“Peder,” the cloaked man responded, nodding his head slightly._

_“Have you heard word?” Peder asked curiously, taking a sip of the drink and scrunching up his nose at it._

_“I’ve heard talk, but nothing definitive,” Sigurd replied, running his hand over the mark of the Deathly Hallows on his right hand._

_“From word around Nurmengard, I’ve come to understand that Mr. Grindelwald shall be coming for the teacher soon.”_

_“Have you?” Sigurd replied with a tone that suggested his curiosity, “Very interesting…very interesting indeed.”_

_“Yes, Sir it is,” Peder replied, “Once the teacher is dead, we should have no one to stand against us. We shall be unstoppable. I have been told that Grindelwald himself is placing guards around the village to spy on the Auburn haired man and we are to report anything of interest immediately.”_

_“I shall keep an eye out,” Sigurd replied with a nod._

_“You are in Grindelwald’s inner circle, surely you will be privy to the interworking soon,” Peder replied, suggesting that he didn’t actually have any hard facts yet. “I shall take my leave now to avoid any suspicions.”_

_“Don’t be overly concerned,” Sigurd replied flippantly giving the room’s interior a look over and scowling at its run down appearance, “I chose this…establishment with good reason. Even the old barkeep doesn’t seem to want to be here.” I looked around curiously and realized he was right, Aberforth didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight despite the fact that these men were discussing the murder of his brother; though Aberforth always did have a bit of animosity for the late Headmaster._

_“None the less,” Peder said with a wary glance over the dimly lit bar, “I shall take my leave.” Peder stood, brushed his robes off from the imaginary filth, and nodded cordially to Sigurd, “For the Greater Good.”_

_“For the Greater Good,” Sigurd replied before Peder took his leave. Sigurd heaved a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair before standing and taking another drink of firewhiskey. He showed a look of distaste down at the glass, growled in annoyance at something I couldn’t discern and then suddenly smashed the glass, still half full, onto the floor. Both Alphard and I jumped but stayed soundless._

_“Idiot,” Sigurd grumbled, wrapping his cloak around him tightly and quickly moving from the bar._

_Once we were sure he was gone we stood from our previously hunched positions and stretched, my back cracking from the odd position I’d been in._

_“What was that?” Alphard asked curiously, his brows knitted together in apprehension._

_“Those were Grindelwald’s followers,” I replied, moving and taking up a seat at a random table, my head moving to lean on my hand._

_Alphard sat down in the chair across the table and seemed to be inspecting me, waiting for something more to come from my mouth and answer his questions._

_“What?” I finally asked in an exasperated manner, raising my head to eye him. He really did look like Sirius._

_“What is all this?” he finally sputtered out, “Who’s Harry, why are you tailing random blokes in black robes, what are Death Eaters, who is Aberforth? Did you know they were going after a teacher? Which teacher? What is all this? Who are you?”_

_I just stared at him as he ranted, his arms waving about._

_“I’m Aberforth,” a deep voice suddenly stated, causing us both to turn and eye the man glaring down at us furiously, “And just who the hell are you?”_

_“Oh, hello Mr. Dumbledore sir,” I said without much thought, earning an odd look from Alphard and Aberforth._

_“Dumbledore, like our Transfiguration Professor,” Alphard questioned confused._

_“I don’t appreciate students letting themselves in when I’m closed and smashing glasses of expensive firewhiskey onto the floor,” Aberforth growled._

_“What?” Alphard stumbled, realizing what he was implying, “It…it wasn’t us. It was someone else.”_

_“Someone else was it?” he questioned curiously, “I don’t_ see _anyone else…they invisible?”_

_“No, they - they left sir,” Alphard huffed nervously._

_“How incredibly convenient,” Aberforth huffed with a scoff._

_“Please Mr. Dumbledore sir,” I began fiddling with my beaded bag and pulling out a few galleons, “We humbly apologize for the incident and wish to rectify it…”_

_“No we don’t,” Alphard huffed, annoyed._

_“How much was it?” I continued, glaring at Alphard for the interruption._

_“I don’t need your pittance girl, just get out,” he grumbled and I sighed, nodding my head as Alphard led me to the door. I set down 3 galleons on the table nearest the door as we left the threshold._


	18. Quidditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first Quidditch match of the season and Nobbs has demanded Myone’s presence. But what has Greyback done to piss her off so much and can anything be done to undo the damage?

_I avoided Alphard’s questions after that, deftly moving the subject to anything else and subtly leading us back to Hogwarts._

_“What was that back there?”_

_“Did you know that Scriven is actually a play on words using the Welsh word ysgrifenu which means writing?”_

_“What are you talking about? I meant in that pub?”_

_“Well look at that shop. Wouldn’t you just hate to have to go in there?”_

_“Everlast’s Teas?”_

_“No, Madam Puddifoots.”_

_“I don’t know who Madam Puddle-food is but that is Everlast’s Teas run by Madam Everlast.” He was looking at me oddly again; shite!_

_After quite a few more awkward conversations we were back to the castle. I smiled, told him I had a great time, and moved swiftly back toward the Library. I was almost down the last corridor when I passed someone and they called out,_

_“Where you off to, runnin’ full tilt?” I halted to a stop at the call and looked back to see Norbert eying me curiously. He was fully dressed in his Quidditch uniform and had his broom in his left hand as he attempted to do up the ties with his right, glancing up at me before looking back down to the ties._

_“What?” I responded as he moved toward me, still trying to do up his ties, “Nowhere. I’m just walking quickly.”_

_“Likely story,” he responded, pointing his broom handle in my direction with a lopsided grin, “Running from Black no doubt, he_ is _a bit of a prat.”_

_“No,” I glared, shoving the broom out of my face, “I am not running from anyone. I just have things to do.”_

_“You always seem to have things to do,” he scoffed, shrugging, “Why don’t you come with me down to the pitch. You can get a good seat before everyone else gets down there.”_

_“Sorry I’m busy,” I responded, glancing down the hall toward the direction of the Library._

_Norbert made a clicking, chastising noise with his tongue but nodded his head none the less, “Fine. But I expect to see you in the stands during the game. I’ll be looking for you.”_

_“Mmm,” I nodded, no longer really listening, “We’ll see.”_

_“No,” he huffed, moving to stand nose to nose with me, “You have to promise to come to the game. I’m captain this year; finally. I want you to see our first game. Show your Gryffindor spirit.”_

_I sighed with a huff but nodded, “Fine.”_

_“No,” he repeated and I looked at him curiously as he continued, “Not fine. I want a verbal promise.”_

_“You’re annoying me,” I glared and he laughed._

_“Don’ care? Now promise.”_

_“Fine. I promise.”_

_“What do you promise? Let’s be clear here…”_

_I let out an exasperated sigh, “I promise to go to the game.”_

_“Now say, ‘I love you Nobbs; you’re the greatest Quidditch Captain ever and I’ll be unable to avert my gaze from your skills on the pitch.”_

_“Piss off,” I huffed, shoving his shoulder as he began to laugh loudly and I stormed off in the other direction._

_“Don’t forget your promise,” he called after me as I turned the corner._

_I’d made it to the door of the library, even pulled open the door halfway when a pale hand slammed loudly into the door above my head, the surprise causing me to let go of the door and letting it close itself, much to my annoyance._

_“Nobbs,” I huffed furiously, “I already promised to go to the game.”_

_“I can’t help but feel insulted by that,” a voice I immediately recognized as not Leach’s whispered beside my ear, causing me to involuntarily cringe._

_“Tom?”_

_“But of course,” he responded as I turned to face him. “I have to wonder what your obsession with this library is…you’re even venturing there on a Hogsmeade and Quidditch day. I thought you went to Hogsmeade with Black, what has you back so soon?”_

_“I got what I needed,” I shrugged, trying to calm my heart that instinctively beat in fear of his being so close to me without the time to prepare myself, “And I figured he should get ready for the game this afternoon as well.”_

_“Mmm, how kind of you,” he scoffed, “So what are you planning to do in the library anyhow.”_

_“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I glared, earning a smirk on his face and a bark of laughter._

_“Perhaps not,” he shrugged, “But I am a bit nosey.”_

_I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony, he’s a bit nosey now but in my time he had no nose._

_“I need to study for Traditional Studies,” I conceded with a shrug._

_“Well, that can wait,” Tom replied, maneuvering himself behind me and pushing me down the corridor._

_“You’re brassin’ me off,” I stated with a huff, looking over my shoulder in his direction. He looked confused for a second and I wondered if he knew the term when he suddenly shrugged and continued,_

_“And you’ll find that I don’t particularly care,” he admitted, continuing on, “After all, you did promise your little mudblood friend that you’d attend the match.”_

_“How did you-”_

_“You thought I was him; rather insulting but none the less…,” he stated inconsequentially, waving his hand flippantly before trailing off. By the time we were out of the castle and moving about the grounds I was walking beside him and he was no longer strong arming me toward the pitch. We were soon joined by a group of people moving toward the game as well and Tom informed me, “I won’t be sitting with you at the game but I will know if you try to leave. Gryffindors and Slytherins don’t sit together nor would I want to anyway, but if you think for one second that you can sneak off without severe consequences then you would be wrong.”_

_I rolled my eyes at him and spotted Fenrir up ahead a little ways, talking to someone I didn’t recognize. I debated with myself on whether or not to interrupt him in order to get away from Tom. It was like choosing the lesser of two evils and with how friendly Fenrir seemed to be in this time and how Tom’s already killed his muggle family it seemed that Greyback was the lesser, busy or not._

_“Fen,” I called, causing him to turn and smile,_

_“Myone,” he nodded in greeting as I said a quick parting to Tom and ran to catch up with the fellow Gryffindor._

_“Hello,” I smiled, trying to catch my breath as I walked alongside Fen and this friend of his whom I didn’t recognize but noticed wore a Gryffindor tie. I must have just missed him in my travels as he was apparently in my house. I turned to him and stuck out my hand to shake, “Hello, I’m Myone Macmillan.”_

_“I know,” the boy nodded politely with a kind smile, “I heard about your duel in Defense.”_

_“Wonderful,” I replied, rolling my eyes, “It seems that everyone has.”_

_“Nothing wrong with that,” he grinned, “I’m rather impressed. Sorry-”he then said moving to shake my hand, “Name’s Harfang Longbottom.”_

_“Longbottom,” I said, my mouth open in my shock._

_“Yeah, I’m a sixth year, so you probably haven’t seen much of me.”_

_“No it’s not that…I just…”_

_“What?” Greyback asked curiously, looking at me oddly._

_“Nothing. It’s great to meet you Harfang.” He let go of my hand then but nodded with a smile,_

_“The same to you Ms. Macmillan.” By now we had arrived at the pitch and found ourselves seats in the upper area of the Gryffindor section._

_It wasn’t long before the match started._

_“It’s the first match of the year!” A voice called with a sonorous charm and I felt like I was back in first year, Lee Jordan shouting out Harry’s name for the first time._

_“First we have Gryffindor entering the pitch,” the voice called as the Gryffindors began to scream and shout excitedly, “First on the pitch today is their Keeper Zuvanc Prewitt, their Beaters Ignatius Prewitt and Albin Blustrode. The Seeker Charlus Potter and their Chasers Macen Wood, Elphinstone Urquart, and Chaser and Captain this year Norbert Leach.”_

_The crowd continued to shout and applaud, flags waving in excitement all around me. The Gryffindors got into position and suddenly flashes of green went past my view as the Slytherins flew by,_

_“And now the challengers; Slytherin.” The Slytherins began to scream and shout, “Leading the way we have our Chasers Walden Macnair and Orion and Alphard Black followed by our Keeper Yorick Mulciber, our Beaters Ryland Yaxley and Antonin Dolohov, and finally our Seeker and Captain Abraxas Malfoy.” The Sytherins were standing and shouting something I couldn’t discern from the distance._

_The match started quickly but it wasn’t long before I’d grown a bit bored. I didn’t know most of the players and even the ones I did know just weren’t keeping my interest. I’d never been overly interested in Quidditch in my time and it just wasn’t the same without Harry, Ron, and Ginny out there. Harry going head to head against Malfoy. My eyes went up to the game and I remembered Malfoy and Harry antagonizing one another and I smiled as I spotted Charlus and Abraxas arguing on the pitch in the air and out of the way of the game. Probably waiting for the snitch to come out of hiding. Despite all the differences some things were the same. Potter and Malfoy were both seekers and seemed to hate each other and I was sitting next to a Longbottom in the stands. I thanked Merlin for small mercies. My mind began to trail off when I suddenly heard a gasp from the crowd around me and I began to pay attention again. I took a glance at the score: Gryffindor 120, Slytherin 100. It was close, Abraxas and Charlus suddenly zoomed over my head and in involuntarily ducked; they’d seen the snitch._

_Abraxas was in the lead and I couldn’t take my eyes of the two, moving as fast as they could toward the object that was invisible at my distance. Suddenly I spotted something headed toward them, two boys following the object quickly; a bludger. My breath hitched as I remembered second year and I immediately stood and moved to the first row to get a better look._

_Malfoy moved out of the way at the last second unknowingly but Potter didn’t it see until a second too late as it burst through the bristles of his broom, leaving a perfect circle shaped hole in its wake. Between the force of the Bludger hitting it and the lack of dynamics it now had, the broom began to spin and Potter, after managing to hold on for longer than I expected, suddenly began to fall at a rapid decent._

_My eyes grew wide in disbelief and horror as I drew my wand intent on casting a cushioning charm to prevent his harm when suddenly Fenrir was beside me, bumping into my wand arm and causing the spell to go off I know not where._

_Charlus hit the ground hard, the echo of his landing permeating through the now silent stands and I turned to Greyback furious at him for having thwarted me before realizing that it wasn’t as important as checking on the boy who was unmoving on the field._

_“Charlus,” I screamed, shoving into Greyback who stood between me and the stairs and somehow knocking the boy who was roughly the size of Charlie Weasley off balance and onto one of the first row benches as I hurried out onto the pitch._

_I arrived and stood close to Charlus as Dumbledore blocked my view and preformed a preliminary diagnosis; Greyback arriving and moving to stand beside me, not mentioning my hard shove to his gut. Hardfang?…Longbottom (I’d already forgotten his name) stood on his other side. I watched as the Quidditch players dismounted and Norbert was in the lead, letting his broom hit the ground uninterested as he hurried to his fallen friend._

_“You certainly have a knack for trouble don’t you,” Leach said with a grin, his eyes shining in concern._

_“Wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t manage to bumble something up,” Charlus agreed with a smirk now that he'd regained consciousness._

_“You just wanted to get out of classes Monday,” Nobert said with a smirk back to which Charlus laughed, wincing as pain shot up his mangled leg, “You know it Nobbs.”_

_“Out of the way, out of the way,” a woman’s voice spouted and we made a path for the two women and the stretcher they had floating behind them. Madam Treyhart I recognized, but the other caused me to draw a blank. I stood there looking at her and wondering why she looked familiar. She had long black hair that was pulled into a tight bun though there were wisps of bangs that had escaped._

_“Oh Potter,” Madam Treyhart sighed, “I should’ve known it’d be you. You have a knack for trouble don’t you.”_

_“Funny,” Charlus replied, tapping his chin with his finger, “Nobbs said the very same thing.”_

_“Perhaps that should tell you something then shouldn’t it Mr. Potter.” She didn’t let him respond as she levitated him onto the stretcher and strapped him down so he wouldn’t fall off. He floated behind her and the dark haired woman as they made their way back toward the school._

_“Who’s she?” I asked Greyback before remembering it was all his fault that he was hurt in the first place and scowling. If Greyback hadn’t knocked me, I would’ve been able to cushion his fall and he wouldn’t have been injured._

_“Don’ know,” he responded, unaware of my fury, “Pretty though.” I rolled my eyes at that and began to walk back to the castle. Whether the game was over or not…I suspected it was, I was going to the library to find a way home. I was tired of this._

* * *

_I had all but given up going through the books that had fallen on me. They were of no use and I was simply getting more aggravated by the day. Now I was stocked with books simply on time travel. They all seemed theoretical and I suspected that anything concrete was within the protection of the Department of Mysteries._

_So I sat in the common room on the couch with the books beside me as I scoured over them, sighing as I fidgeted to try and get more comfortable. The common room was empty due to most of Gryffindor house being depressed that they’d lost the first game of the season and wallowing up in their dorms._

_Apparently, when Charlus had gotten hit with the Bludger, Abraxas was busy catching the snitch and hadn’t even noticed the commotion. He’d thought they’d all stood for him, narcissistic prat. But he’d still won fair and square despite most of the Gryffindor students expressing that he’d somehow cheated; how, I couldn’t tell you._

_I had just let another book thump to the ground in freefall (if that tells you my level of frustration at all) when I heard the portrait door open and close and a laugh I recognized as Greyback’s fill the silence._

_“I can’t believe his luck,” Nobert continued, moving around the couch, pushing my tomes off it haphazardly and letting them hit the ground in various states; some open with the pages bending._

_“How dare you,” I growled, as he thumped into the now empty area of the couch and sat sideways, using the arm as a backrest and letting his legs fall to rest on my lap. “Move,” I growled, my eyes dangerously narrowed and my hair crackling in my fury. I grabbed my wand off from the side table between the couch and the chair, pointing it at him as I snarled out, “I will hex your bollocks off.”_

_He must have noted the tone in my voice as serious as his hands immediately went to cover his pants and his legs slid off my lap. He moved to sit as far away from me as the couch would allow, giving me a tentative glance before trying to hide his crotch by raising his hips to sit uneven and block his privates from my view. I rolled my eyes and lowered my wand as Greyback took the chair on my other side and laughed loudly, surely waking anyone asleep though I doubted anyone was this early in the evening despite the quiet in the Commons._

_“Found out who the brawd was from earlier,” Greyback commented trying to distract me from my sad look down at the mangled books, “She’s the new Mediwitch trainee.”_

_“Trainee?” I questioned and Greyback nodded._

_“That’s what she said,” Norbert added._

_“She’s also trapped with Charlus’ affection for the next few days ‘til he’s released.”_

_“Poor poor Dorea Black,” Nobert replied, shaking his head with a smirk, “He’ll chase her out right quick.”_

_“Dorea Black,” I repeated trying to figure out who she was and drawing a blank, “Dorea…Dorea…Dorea Potter!” It took a bit but I remembered her being on Sirius’ tapestry, she married Charlus Potter, she was Harry’s Grandmother._

_“He wishes,” Nobert laughed, “Your gettin’ a bit ahead of yourself aren’t you?”_

_“Can tell your opinion on the matter,” Fenrir added with a smirk, shaking his head. Looking in his direction I blanched. I’d been so angry with him, believing it his fault that Harry had almost not been born, but it was more my fault then his. He met Dorea Black because of his fall and Dorea Black would be James’ mother. What if my intervention caused Charlus to not need the Hospital Wing and he’d never met her. That would mean that they never got together and it would be all my fault. There was a chance they’d find each other another way but no guarantee. I’d almost killed Harry._

_My breath hitched and I stood from the couch before moving to the future werewolf and giving him a hug. “Thank you,” I whispered, “Thank you so much.”_

_“Not sure what this is about but I’m not completely opposed,” he grinned wolfishly, hugging me back tightly and restricting my airflow._

_At that I fought him off and glowered, “Git.”_

_His smile widened as he looked to Norbert and smirked._

_“I’m off to bed,” I huffed, gathering up the skewed books and smoothing out the bent pages._

_“Bed,” Norbert asked curiously, “Why? It’s not nearly late enough and tomorrow’s Sunday. No one’ll be up til after noon.”_

_That’s what I was counting on, I wanted to get to the library without Tom, my new mother hen, hunting me down._

_“None the less,” I replied flippantly, moving toward the stairs, “Good night boys.”_

_“Good night Myone,” they replied in sync. There were still some things that reminded me of home and that made me both smile and tear up._


	19. The Post Date Wrap-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphard informs the Slytherin boys about the Hogsmeade trip and Tom hands out a warning.

“Narcissistic Prat, am I?” Abraxas questioned his wife, Draco looking on with a small smirk.

“That’s right,” his wife responded, crossing her arms at his comment, “Still are, if you ask me.”

“I don’t remember anyone asking,” Abraxas responded, his index finger going to his chin in thought, “Do you remember Draco?”

Draco snickered at that and shook his head, “No; can’t say that I do.”

“Unbelievable,” Myone responded, exasperated, “Already choosing sides.”

“We blokes have to stick together, don’t we,” Brax responded, Draco giving a slight nod of agreement.

“Prats, you’re all a load of prats,” she huffed indignantly.

“Anyway,” Brax smirked, looking down to his grandson, “While she was hugging the werewolf…”

“He wasn’t a werewolf yet…and there’s nothing wrong with werewolves no matter what you say.”

Abraxas coughed, insinuating for his wife to stop talking, “While she was hugging the werewolf we were in the Slytherin common room having a conversation of our own…”

_“We won!” Ryland shouted, his eyes wide in excitement as he sat in an armchair and thumped his legs onto the coffee table, the dirt from the pitch still on his shoes and now on the table as well._

_“I wasn’t aware,” Tom responded, rolling his eyes and sighing, “And if I see even a speck of dirt on my parchment you will be subjected to a Cruciatus.”_

_I rolled my eyes, but Ryland moved his feet; Tom wasn’t one to play about with unforgivables. Tom had all of his textbooks set up on said coffee table as he worked on his Potions’ essays, something neither Ryland nor I had bothered much with._

_I sat on the couch tossing the snitch back at forth between my hands, Tom to my right; though I was careful not to hit him with said snitch. He’d be sure to blow it apart in annoyance._

_I noticed Alphard come from the boy’s dormitories, ruffling a towel over his hair as he took the chair closest to the hearth; the towel cradling his shoulders._

_Tom looked up at Alphard’s arrival, nodded at him once, then went back to studying._

_“How was your date?” Ryland questioned with a grin, causing us to all look to Alphard curiously. After the game we’d just had, I’d forgotten that it was a Hogsmeade day and Alphard had taken the odd new girl, Myone._

_“It wasn’t a date,” Alphard argued, a slightly annoyed tone in his voice._

_“So what was it?” I asked curiously, and he looked at me rather confused._

_“I’m not…entirely…sure,” he replied tentatively._

_“What do you mean?” Tom asked suddenly, putting his quill and parchment onto the coffee table and giving him his full attention, something that didn’t happen often; most people give their attention to Tom, not the other way around._

_“Well,” Alphard began, his brows scrunching as he thought back, “It started out normal enough. We got a few snacks at Honeydukes and she told me she needed to pick up a coat so I took her to Gladrags but after that…”_

_“What?” Tom asked, leaning forward a bit more in anticipation and causing all of us to look at him oddly._

_“Well, she noticed someone in a black robe, pulled me behind some cauldrons, and called me Harry.”_

_“Harry?” Tom repeated._

“I didn’t understand then,” Abraxas told his wife and grandson, “But he was remembering when I was first carrying Myone to the Hospital Wing and she’d said…”

“No Harry, you can’t go after Voldemort alone,” she finished for him, her eyes wide. “Of course, that was why he’d asked me about a Harry during Yule Hols.”

“What?” Draco asked confused.

“Nothing,” she replied flippantly, “We’re not there yet.”

“Anyway,” Abraxas continued,

_“Yeah,” Alphard nodded, “She called me Harry. Then we followed the black robed bloke into some place called the Hogshead. Real dodgy, yeah; but she seemed to know it, even knew the owner. But she’d told me when we were walking down to Hogsmeade that she’d never been there before so I was a bit confused._

_“Turns out, the man was with Grindlewald.”_

_This caused us all to look on in wonder and amazement. We were all rather impressed by Gindlewald’s desire to get rid of Muggles but we were still scared shitless of him._

_“Apparently the guy was high up in their ranks, even had a tattoo of the deathly hallows on the top of his hand. It covered the entire thing too. But as I was saying, Myone listened in on everything, waited ‘til he left and then we got caught by the shopkeep who, get this, his name is Aber-something Dumbledore.”_

_“Dumbledore,” Tom repeated, his brows furrowed curiously, “How are they related?”_

_“Dunno, but they look pretty similar, cousins maybe.”_

_“Mmm,” Tom replied trying to think this through._

_“After we left there, she kept yammering on about nothing and wouldn’t answer any of my questions. Then as soon as we got back to the castle she took off saying that she had to get ready for the game.”_

_“Did she now?” Tom replied, thinking diligently._

_“Dunno what it was all about,” Alphard shrugged, “But you were right about her. She’s mighty suspicious.”_

_Tom nodded and replied, “She’ll probably be a bit wary of you for a while, at least until she realizes that you won’t be asking her about what happened.”_

_“Well of course I’ll be askin’ her about what happened,” Alphard replied with confusion, his eyes narrowing._

_“No,” Tom refuted with a glare, “You won’t be bothering her about this. I will do what needs to be done to figure out what needs to be known and you will do nothing to jeopardize her tentative friendship with us.”_

_“But-” Alphard sputtered back._

_“Is that understood?” Tom glared, causing a shiver up the backs of the lot of us._

_“Ye-yes,” Alphard agreed with a vigorous nod. Tom smiled slightly evilly and nodded,_

_“Good. Now I have homework to finish, so you lot mind your own…quietly.”_

* * *

“Meanwhile, I was having my own problems,” Myone began, taking control of the story again.

_Monday morning I was sitting at breakfast, tired from having stayed up so late the night before reading in the library, when Ottilie tapped me on the shoulder._

_“Grades are up,” she said in a whisper, trying not to alert the Gryffindors to her presence; though they were already giving her odd looks._

_“What?” I responded confused, still not entirely awake yet._

_“The grades are up,” she repeated, “You know; for Traditional Studies.”_

_“Ohhh,” I nodded before going back to my meal. It was a bit depressing that I was still here when they were released. I’d rather hoped to be home by now._

_“Well come on,” she huffed in annoyance, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face, “Let’s go have a look.”_

_“My porridge…” I replied, trailing off at the look of indignation on her face._

_“Merlin’s beard,” she remarked with a scowl, “Let’s go. You can cast a warming charm on it later. Are you a witch or not?”_

_Sighing, I allowed her to pull me from my seat and lead me to the staffroom where a collection of seventh year pureblood girls stood eying the list of grades and giggling to themselves._

_When they noticed our approach they giggled even harder and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. As we got closer they moved to make a path which I found a bit odd but I followed Ottilie to the wall directly beside the door to the staff room and eyed the sheet._

_I noticed that most of the girls had Outstandings, which I found to be a relief; I had assumed that Madam Black graded quite difficultly but if that many had gotten O’s, it seemed I was worried for nothing.   Ottilie herself had an O as well as Lilou and Elspeth._

_There was also a rather large group of E’s. I was incredibly relieved, of that you can be assured. Even Antonetta and Annalina Carrow had Exceeds Expectations. Though, those two being able to spell Traditional Studies or their own names would exceed_ my _expectations._

_Then I looked for my name? Had I gotten an Outstanding or an Exceeds Expectations, in my time I would have been rather insulted to get anything less than an Outstanding but seeing my lack of knowledge on the subject I wasn’t going to get my hopes up; an E would suit me just fine. Finally finding my name, I dragged my finger across the blank space between the name and the grade to see my E when I my eyes narrowed and I was sure I’d seen it wrong. In the space beside my name was a D. That couldn’t be right._

_I covered the names above and below my own and lined it up to see better, D. That couldn’t be right. A Dreadful. That was the lowest score you could get other than a Troll which was usually for someone who didn’t bother to answer a single question._

_I began to sputter indignantly, and I heard someone giggle behind me. I turned and glared at them in a fury._

_“No wonder she did so bad,” one of the Carrow girls began._

_“She can’t see,” said the other._

_Another girl came up and laughed openly, placing her hand to her mouth daintily. “I don’t think she’s hard of sight,” she commented, giving off a look of superiority, “More just soft in mind.”_

_“What?” I sneered, crinkling my nose at the ridiculousness of the comment._

_“It would seem so Alessandra,” another girl agreed and I only glared more. There were now five Slytherins and three Ravenclaws joining in on openly mocking me and it was only serving to piss me off._

_“Don’t think I won’t hex you,” I threatened, removing my wand from the sleeve of my robe._

_“Are you sure you know which way to hold it?” one of the girls questioned, earning a laugh from all the others._

_“Myone!” a voice I recognized as Ryland called out from just beyond the crowd, “You coming to potions?”_

_I turned to focus on him and spotted Tom, face in a book, and Abraxas, tossing about a snitch (I assume the one he’d caught at this last game). “Yes,” I called back, “I’m coming.” Pushing past the girls with a few hard shoves from both sides, I was finally clear of the Traditional Studies students and moved to stand beside the three. Tom seemed to notice me for the first time and closed his Potions text, slipping it under his arm and nodding to me cordially with a small smile._

_“Good morning, Myone,” he commented._

_“Hello Tom,” I responded, nodding to each in turn, “Abraxas, Ryland. Is breakfast already over?”_

_“Mostly,” Abraxas commented, “Have you not eaten?”_

_“Traditional Studies grades are up,” I commented with a huff, throwing a thumb in its direction._

_“Not do so well?” Ryland asked curiously, eying the crowd of girls who were looking wide eyed in their direction._

_“Not as well as I’d hoped,” I sighed, rubbing my hand over my face, taking note of the looks of jealousy gracing a few of their faces as well as Ottilie’s smile of approval in my direction._

_“Don’t worry,” Abraxas commented, clapping me on the shoulder with a smirk, “You’ll do alright. Just so long as you study.”_

_“Yeah, thanks for that,” I huffed, “I wasn’t aware.”_

_Abraxas simply grinned and shrugged._

_“She got a D,” a voice called out from somewhere in the group. I thought it might be that Alessandra girl but I couldn’t tell for sure. The boys either hadn’t heard her or simply ignored the comment._

_Instead Tom replied, “How far are you on your Potions essay?”_

_I faltered, I hadn’t started on those. I needed to catch up and stop looking to travel to the future for now. If my grades faltered too much I wouldn’t be able to stay in the classes and then I’d have more free time to be hunted down by the girls that were now shooting deathly glares in my direction._

_“Not as far as I’d like to be,” I replied ambiguously._

_“Neither are Brax and Yaxley,” Tom replied with a huff, “Perhaps this afternoon we can all get together and ensure that we finish.”_

_“Sounds wonderful,” I replied. We began walking down the corridor and just as we turned the corner I turned back to the group of girls who were watching on with heated glares and simply waved in their direction with a wide smile. I think a few may have burst a blood vessel at that. I only grinned wider._

* * *

_I was thankful to sit next to Ottilie during Traditional Studies that day. Word of my acquaintanceship with the boys had spread and now almost every girl was glaring at me. The Gryffindors were more annoyed at the traitorous act rather than jealousy but the Ravenclaws and Slytherins seemed the most put out. I heard one Ravenclaw girl mention that ‘for them being some of the smartest boys in the school they sure hung out with dunderheaded girls.’_

_I wasn’t sure how to respond to that so I just pretended that I didn’t hear them, but I had and it annoyed me beyond belief. I felt like I had in my early years at Hogwarts when everyone called me know-it-all or in fourth year after Rita Skeeter had written those terrible articles only now I’d come full circle. None of the girls here thought of me as smart, they all thought of me as an idiot. Well I’d show them, Hermione Granger was smart no matter what name she went by and I’d be damned if they thought they could beat me. Especially those empty headed Carrow girls._

_If I hadn’t been motivated to study before, I was now._

_“You alright?” Ottilie asked me concerned. I could hear the static in my hair and I knew it must look rather horrid but I didn’t particularly care, who was I trying to impress?_

_“I’m fine,” I huffed annoyed, attempting to rub the oil from my hands into my hair to calm it down._

_“Try telling your magic,” Ottilie replied, pointing to my frazzled mess, “It seems to be taking on a life of its own.”_

_“Sorry,” I apologized, continuing to try and calm it._

_“Good afternoon my future socialites. How are you faring this day?” Madam Black asked curiously, entering the room haughtily and seeming to glide between the aisles._

_“We are doing well. Thank you for your inquiry,” we recited in response. I’d learned that little doozy last Wednesday._

_“Now I’m sure everyone has seen their scores for the last exam. You all...well, most of you did very well.” I glared down at my desk in response, it wasn’t a secret who she was referring to; “Our next project and chapter will be over dinner.”_

_I couldn’t help but think about Mrs. Weasley and the giant Weasley dinners that she’d arrange, was that what I was expected to do…I can’t even cook._

_“You’ll be doing the dinner for after the pantomime. This year they will be preforming the Fountain of Fair Fortune as I’m sure you all already know.” The room was nodding in agreement and I was feeling more out of the loop by the second._

_“What?” I whispered to Ottilie in confusion._

_“Professor Beery is doing a pantomime for Yule this year. The Traditional Studies class hosts a dinner every year for Yule though the pantomime is a first this year; after years of begging, Headmaster Dippet’s finally allowing Professor Beery to put it on.”_

_“Ohh,” I said, nodding my head in agreement._

_“Yeah, and with them all a bit jealous of you, Merlin knows it’s gonna be a hell of a ride.”_

_I sighed, just what I needed._


	20. Pick of the Litter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a catching Fen and Nobbs spying and a conversation with Eileen Prince, it’s time for the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw game where exciting things may be afoot.

_It had been about a week since the announcement of the Yule dinner in Traditional Studies and we’d all been assigned our duties. We were able to volunteer for what we wanted to do, more or less: the Carrow girls chose the food; Ottile and I chose decorating the Great Hall; Alessandra, Odelia, Evelyn, and Ansley (a lovely group of girls I would soon come to despise) chose to decorate the corridors with postings to get the student body into the spirit, etc._

_I had just left the Great Hall after finishing supper when I spotted what could only be the backs of Fenrir Greyback and Norbert Leach leaning their way into the Hospital Wing by pushing their noses into the crack of the door. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in annoyance as I made my way toward the two troublemakers, stopping just a few steps behind them. I tapped my foot impatiently but they didn’t seem to notice my presence until I coughed loudly for just that purpose._

_They quickly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down to a crouching level before whispering harshly, “Shhh.”_

_“Why?” I huffed annoyed, glaring up at them as they pointed toward where they had previously been looking. I followed their line of sight and smiled; Charlus was trying to charm Dorea who was busy sorting the potion stores for the Hospital wing. It would appear at first glance that she was completely ignoring him and found him an annoyance but every so often you would notice her smile faintly or cover a chuckle with a cough._

_“I think she’s going to hex him soon,” Fen warned, “She looks mighty agitated.”_

_“Agreed,” Nobbs nodded, “But if she hexes him too bad she’ll just be stuck with him longer.”_

_“Too right you are mate.”_

_“Boys,” I replied, rolling my eyes. They weren’t noticing that she was trying to hide her amused reactions and she wasn’t even hiding it very well, “Emotional range of a teaspoon; the lot of you.” I stood up from where I was forcibly crouched and walked back down the corridor toward my original destination, the Common Room; the boys looking up at me in bewilderment before shrugging it off and going back to watching their friend tentatively._

_I was avoiding the Library now, choosing to do my homework in the Common Room or during meal times in the Great Hall as I’d often get distracted into researching a way home once I’d gotten into the Library. I passed the large double doors morosely wishing dearly that my homework was finished and I had a more viable excuse to go inside. The door opened suddenly and Eileen came out, holding a book called ‘The Industrial Age: Muggle Machines and How They Work.’_

_“Hello Eileen,” I said with a smile; the girl jumping nervously at my voice addressing her._

_“Hello Myone,” she responded, smiling back carefully, “How are you?”_

_“I’m very good, thanks. So, you’re reading up about muggle machines? Any you find particularly interesting or just the subject in general?”_

_She immediately thrust the book behind her back, glancing from one side of the corridor to the other as though someone were listening in on our conversation._

_“Quiet,” she insisted harshly, her eyes wide and fearful as she pulled me into an empty classroom and charmed the door locked._

_“What’s wrong?” I asked her confused, my head tilted to the side in bewilderment as I tried to discern what she was panicking over and drawing a blank._

_“I am a good little pureblooded girl,” she sneered at me in a way that could only make me think of Professor Snape. He definitely got his sneer from her. “I am to marry a rich and powerful pureblood boy as my parents have commanded and I will pop out little pureblooded heirs to whichever family my parents deem me for.”_

_“Eileen?” I questioned curiously, not quite following her angry tone. I’d never heard her say that many words before…ever._

_“Well maybe I don’t want to marry a rich pureblood and be his breeding mare; maybe I want to be my own person, maybe I want to fall in love, marry the man I want to marry, look at…” she glanced down at the book in her hand and read the title over, “books about muggle machines.”_

_“Eileen,” I asked tentatively, moving toward her, “What’s going on?”_

_“I got a letter from my mother today,” she said looking up at me, her eyes glistening in tears as she wrinkled her nose in distaste, “They’re interviewing suitors. Interviewing; as though bedding me is a job they must perform.”_

_“Oh Eileen I’m so sorry.”_

_“Who have you got?”_

_“Who have I got for what?”_

_“For your betrothal contract?”_

_“Um, well I haven’t, I don’t…”_

_“Do you have your pick of the litter?”_

_“My …what?”_

_“It’s the term most pureblooded girls our age use when they’ve got such a large dowry that their parents could marry them off to any family and they wouldn't be refused, but they don’t need their reputation boosted so they aren’t forced into a marriage; their parents let them marry for love. They don’t have to join in a contract, they get to pick anyone they want because whomever they choose would be stupid to refuse; the pick of the litter.”_

_“Oh, um. I don’t think so.”_

_Suddenly she looked at me oddly, “Have you signed up for the pureblood compulsorary?”_

_“Oh. Yes. It is, of course, required for all purebloods,” I replied, not having any idea what it was at all but taking its root word and working it out for myself._

_“You’re not a pureblood at all, are you?”_

_“What?”_

_“I’ve heard around the Slytherin Common Room that you don’t seem to understand anything in Traditional Studies, you joke and converse with gentlemen which is highly inappropriate for a proper lady, you take classes for dueling, you talk to people below your supposed status; everything about you screams that you’re not pureblooded.” She was no longer near tears but looking at me as though I were something to be studied._

_“Um,” I sputtered out, startled and on the spot. What do I say to that? “I hate…um…mud…bloods and um half…bloods.”_

_“That was very convincing,” she remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes, “Try again.”_

_“What would you have me say?” I huffed, blowing a stray curl out of my face in exasperation as I sighed._

_“The truth,” she replied, eying me expectantly. I narrowed my eyes at her curiously, a well-placed obliviate would go unnoticed and solve all of my problems but I’d have to have access to my wand, catch her off guard._

_“You’re right,” I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face, “I’m not a pureblood.”_

_“What are you then?”_

_“Muggleborn,” I replied, just daring her to correct the term._

_“You are?” she responded, her eyes wide in wonder._

_“Yes,” I remarked, my hand going for my wand very slowly so as not to spook her._

_“I’ve never been friends with a mudblood before,” she remarked, a genuine smile crossing her lips and her shoulders releasing some of the tension they seemed to be holding._

_I frowned confused, not sure how to respond to that, “You’re not mad?”_

_“Mad? I guess I should be, yeah? But I don’t know; I’ve only been allowed to associate with purebloods both before and while in Hogwarts and I’ve been picked on since I knew what it meant. You’re the first person to ever really be nice to me and now I find out that you were what I’ve always been taught to despise. So do I hate you; no. Am I mad; I guess not. I am surprised, a bit confused, but not mad. I probably should be, but I’m not.”_

_I dropped my hand from where I’d been moving it toward my wand to let it hang loosely at my side._

_“You really should be more careful though,” she commented, pulling a chair out from its place beside a table to sit in it, “I noticed you were behaving oddly and I barely talk to you. Just pleasantries in the corridors and the like. You should watch yourself with those elite boys you find yourself with; especially Mr. Riddle. He’s got a knack for finding out things he shouldn’t.”_

_“Don’t I know it,” I sighed heavily, hopping up to sit on the table beside her chair._

_“What is going on there – if you don’t mind me asking?”_

_“I…I don’t know right now. There are certain things that I can’t tell you,” I began; Eileen nodded, looking down at her hands, “But I’ll tell you what I can. Tom’s doing some dangerous things, even as young as he is. I’m keeping an eye on him.”_

_“The Green and Silver girls think you’re a Pick of the Litter girl who’s trying to snag him for yourself,” Eileen remarked with a grin._

_“Well those girls are one lacewing fly short of a calming draught,” I muttered to myself. Eileen snorting in response. I hadn’t meant for her to hear that._

_“So which one are you after then?”_

_“Is none an option?”_

_“Really, none at all? They seem so nice though; and you all get on so well.”_

_“I’m not really interested in that sort of thing though Eileen. Besides I’m Muggleborn so I haven’t got anything of interest to any of them anyway.”_

_“Oh right,” Eileen nodded, smiling sheepishly, “Forgot.”_

* * *

_It wasn’t long before it was time for the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw game. The Gryffindor/Slytherin had been early November while this was at the end of the month. After this everyone would be getting ready for the Yule dinner, well at least the Traditional students would be._

_“Are you excited?” Lindou asked curiously, sticking a pin in her hair as she walked down the path toward the pitch. Lilou was waving her arms in a haphazard back and forth motion as she walked alongside._

_“Is there any particular reason I should be?” I asked curiously._

_“Hurry up Eoghan,” a young boy’s voice called out as he pushed me to the ground in his rush to pass me by. He was wearing a Hufflepuff Quidditch Uniform and was carrying a broom, he must be playing in the game. Another ran past my fallen form, I assume him to be Eoghan._

_“Humph,” I huffed. Lindou and Lilou both eyed the situation tentatively as they reached their arms out to help me up._

_“Sorry about that,” a voice suddenly stated from directly behind me, lifting me up off the grass and back to my feet. He had a thick accent that instantly reminded me of Fourth year. Victor Krum. “This is their first year on the team and they want to make sure they are early; even at the expense of a beautiful lady such as yourself. I am Poftin Kristoffer, Chaser for Hufflepuff as you can probably tell,” he said, motioning down to his Quidditch Uniform._

_“You are indeed in Hufflepuff,” I nodded with a grin. Noticing an odd motion in my peripheral, I looked up to see Lindou and Lilou smile and wave before deserting me and heading down to the pitch, leaving me with the mysterious chaser for Hufflepuff that I’d never met before._

_“You’re Ms. Macmillan aren’t you?” he asked curiously and I nodded. After Eileen had caught me in my lie about being a pureblood she’d been giving my lessons on the dos and don’ts. Apparently pureblooded girls weren’t supposed to be called by their first names by those that weren’t their intended or close relatives, nor were they supposed to do that to others. The ones that were already doing so: Riddle, Malfoy, Yaxley, Black, Potter, Greyback, Leach…it was too late for them; but I wasn’t adding any new ones to the list._

_“I am, Mr. Kristoffer.”_

_“I recognize you,” he smiled, “I am in your Dueling class. I sit in the very back; three rows behind you.”_

_“Oh,” I muttered out embarrassed, not sure how to respond to that._

_“Don’t worry,” he grinned, “It was very impressive.”_

_“Thanks,” I muttered out, rubbing the back of my neck._

_“Kristoffer,” a voice shouted from the direction of the pitch, “Get down here.”_

_“Sorry. I’d better go,” he shrugged. I smiled at his apologetic look and nodded, “Duncan may be a year below me but he does take charge.”_

_He waved as he dashed off and I smiled, feeling a bit of heat rise to my cheeks._

_“You chattin’ with Kristoffer?” Leach’s voice called out curiously from behind me as he, Charlus, and Fen came up beside me._

_“So what if I am?” I responded, raising my nose and making my way down to the pitch without them, so they were forced to run to catch up._

_“We weren’t saying anything. Just curious,” Charlus commented with a slight shrug and a smile as they hurried to keep up._

_“He’s like me,” Nobbs commented, “Good bloke but most won’t give him the time of day.”_

_“Like you?” I asked confused._

_Charlus had been about to respond when a small group of Slytherins bumped into Norbert. “Filthy Mudblood,” one of them snarled to Leach as he pushed past him on his way to the pitch._

_“Exactly,” Nobert commented with a roll of his eyes._

_We walked the rest of the way to the pitch in relative silence, making small talk here and there before taking our seats up in the stands._

_The game was exciting with Hufflepuff coming out on top 380 to Ravenclaw’s 150 with Maddock Athoe, the 6 th year seeker catching the snitch for the Hufflepuff team._

_As we came down from the stands I passed Ottilie who rolled her eyes in my direction and sighed, “He’s going to be worse than a goblin with recently stolen gold. He was Ravenclaw’s seeker.”_

_“Who?”_

_“Giovanni,” she replied, “He’s my intended.” I smiled at that. I could only imagine how he must be feeling._

_“Good luck,” I said._

_“Yeah,” she sighed dejectedly, moving towards the castle._

_“Look,” Fenrir spouted off suddenly, batting at Charlus as though his arm were about to fall off._

_“What is it you cod,” Charlus huffed._

_“Alessandra,” he smiled widely to which I rolled my eyes. Alessandra Lestrange; it was no secret that Greyback harbored feelings for the witch who didn’t deem him worthy to even breathe the same air. She was too busy fawning all over Riddle and Malfoy to even see Greyback and he wasn’t her cup of tea even at the best of times. But none the less Fen seemed smitten with her and deemed it necessary to make everyone aware of her presence whenever she was within 25 yards of them. “Look at her.”_

_“Yes we all see her Fen,” Nobbs replied before mumbling under his breath, “Not that I wouldn’t rather look at an old toad.”_

_I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between Alessandra and the old toad Umbridge. They didn’t seem all that different in my mind._

_“Oy,” Fen spouted indignantly, “Don’t compare her to an old toad.”_

_She suddenly tripped over a stone in her heels and fell, her handbag falling to the ground beside her. Moving quickly, Fen ran to gather her bag and dusted it off as she righted herself, holding it out to her proudly as she sneered in his direction. Odelia, Evelyn, and Ansley stood around her snickering into their white gloved hands as Nobbs, Charlus, and I came up to the group._

_“How dare you touch my belongings you filthy halfblood,” she snarled angrily, ripping it from his outstretched hand. He recoiled as though he’d been slapped, though at that point he might as well have been, “Don’t you dare come near me again. Filthy scum. Why they even let filth like you in here is beyond me. Not even worthy to be a wizard.”_

_Fen’s nose wrinkled up as though he wanted to say something back but didn’t dare, I however had no such qualms._

_“Excuse me,” I began, pulling Fen behind me to keep him barricaded away from Alessandra, “How dare you speak to him that way. He was helping you, you no good empty headed trollop and for you to have anything to say against him doing anything kind for you is unconscionable.”_

_She had nothing to say in response for the moment, simply stared back at me blankly as though she wasn’t bothering to listen or couldn’t comprehend the words that I’d said. I turned away from her and looked at Greyback, “Let’s head back up to the Commons, Fen.”_

_“Don’t you dare turn your back on me you daft cow,” she called after me, despite me ignoring her and attempting to lead Fen away. I could tell he was angry; his shoulders were shaking and he was beginning to growl. If I didn’t know already that he wasn’t a werewolf I’d think the full moon was soon._

_“She shouldn’t talk to you like that,” he muttered to himself, “How could I like someone like her?”_

_“It’s alright Fen,” I smiled, ignoring her as she continued to shout insults at our back, “Let’s just go back to the castle.” I’d made it a few more steps when I was suddenly hit in the back with a stinging jinx and I gritted my teeth to keep from calling out._

_I turned on the spot and faced her, a smug grin of satisfaction on her face, “I said, ‘Turn and face me’, you should’ve listened.”_

_“You listen to me you stupid scrubber; I will not tolerate being hexed with my back turned.”_

_“Then perhaps you should listen when I tell you to,” she remarked, twirling her wand between her fingers lazily._

_I took a deep breath to control my breathing, I was not going to lose my self-restraint over some insignificant girl like her. I suddenly realized that people were beginning to crowd around, mostly Slytherin girls and they all seemed to be siding with Alessandra which was of no surprise to me._

_Nobbs and Charlus had led Fen away which was probably a good thing as they couldn’t really fight girls without sullying their already borderline reputations._

_Alessandra, Odelia, Evelyn, and Ansley now all had their wands pointed at me and though I knew that they hadn’t learned very intricate spells as it wasn’t “lady-like” the four of them together could do something at least mildly damaging._

_The four wands raised together and they all said different spells,_

_“Locomotor Mortis.”_

_“Immobulus.”_

_“Petrificus Totalus.”_

_“Accio.”_

_The first three were of course all spells to make me immobile while the fourth summoned me and I toppled Ansley Nott to the ground, my eyes staring into hers since I wasn’t able to move off of her._

_“We were all supposed to cast Immobulus,” Alessandra huffed in annoyance, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she watched Odelia and Evelyn roll my body off of Ansley’s, “And Ansley what did you cast; it wasn’t even close.”_

_“I couldn’t think of the right charm…all I could think of was Accio,” she replied, her lips pouty and her eyes wide.  It was then that I realized what they were trying to do.  They may not have been particularly skilled but if all four of them cast Immobulus it would cause me to go into an almost vegetative state.  That had apparently thought this out - well somewhat, they hadn't actually cast the same spell.  
_

_“Whatever,” Alessandra huffed in annoyance at the other girl's idiocy, “It doesn’t matter.”_

_“What’s going on here?” a loud male voice suddenly questioned. I couldn’t see with my face in the snow but I recognized the voice, Abraxas Malfoy._

_My nose was starting to go numb and I was getting the feeling that there were icicles forming on my eyelashes._

_“We weren’t doing anything Mr. Malfoy,” Alessandra was quick to assure, her voice trembling ever so slightly._

_I felt a light tap from a boot to my side and wished my face wasn’t hexed in place so I could snarl a frown, “So who’s this then?” That voice was Alphard. I hadn’t talked to him since Hogsmeade. I’d been avoiding him and he hadn’t been coming around when I met up with Riddle, Malfoy, and Yaxley lately which was nice, though now I was beginning to think that it was more for my benefit than just a coincidence._

_“Just a pest,” Alessandra responded dryly._

_“That can’t be,” Ryland added, “You’re right there.”_

_There was nothing said for a few moments as Alphard struggled to stifle his laughter. Then finally Alessandra grumbled out, “Come on girls, let’s go.” I heard footsteps crumpling in the snow as they moved away and then nothing. Great I was left alone and unable to move. I knew I could get out of it but it would take a bit._

_“Finite,” Riddle’s voice rang out and my body went limp in the snow. I pushed myself up and spit out the slush in a huff, muttering out a halfhearted,_

_“Thanks.”_

_“That’s what friends are for, right?” Alphard asked curiously, leaning down to bounce on the balls of his shoes and stare at me, my face bright red from the cold._

_“Um…ye…yeah.”_

_“We better head in, you could catch your death out here,” Tom stated flatly, raising an eyebrow at me while Alphard straightened himself out and offered me a hand. I took it gratefully and stood, letting them lead me into the castle before making my way to the Commons to let Fenrir know that I was alright and ensure that he was as well._


	21. Purebloods and Arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DADA brings practicals with unforgivables which elicits a bit too much excitement from a few of the more dunderheaded Slytherins and Myone asks about Marriage Contracts between the Slytherin Four.

_“Alright you lot,” a voice shouted harshly, jolting me awake, “Wands out, books away.” I hadn’t slept much the night before; what with Ryland’s snoring. Alphard and I had taken to tossing boiled sweets and fudge toward his gaping hole of a mouth hoping to gag him to silence but we’d thrown one too far and hit Tom in the forehead. Let’s just say no one slept much after that._

_I pushed the text off the side of my desk and it thumped hard to the floor, earning a scowl from the Slytherin beside me. “What Roverts?” I asked, feigning curiosity as I raised my eyebrows alongside my comment._

_“Nothin’,” he replied, not daring to look me in the eye. Serves him right._

_“Today,” Professor Vostic continued on, giving me a harsh look at my interruption, “We will be working on unforgivables.”_

_“Yes!” I heard Avery shout from the front of the room and I rolled my eyes. Idiot._

_“Try to calm your enthusiasm, Mr. Avery,” Professor Vostic continued as he crossed his arms, his wand sticking out the bottom as he held it tightly. I sat up a bit in my chair to see if I could see the bloke; Desmond Avery wasn’t the brightest wand in the shop at the best of times but to shout out your excitement to practice unforgivables was probably a warning for Vostic who was known to hand out recommendations to the Auror Office._

_In the way of my line of sight to Avery was a mound of dull bushy brown hair, Macmillan. Since she was the first brawd I’d ever heard of to sit in on Dueling Defense, I’d sometimes forget she was in here, despite the amount of time the lads and I had been spending with her. She was certainly memorable, that wasn’t the problem. From spouting off at us about giant rights when we’d laughed about a slaying we’d read about in the prophet, to listing the ingredients to a potion we hadn’t even learned yet; Myone Macmillan was certainly an odd duck; that was for sure._

_Tom was growing more and more intrigued by her by the day and it was starting to become a bit unnerving.   Tom Riddle obsessed with anything usually spelled trouble._

_“You’ll be casting the Imperius Curse on these rats but don’t damage them, they’re using them in transfiguration tomorrow,” Vostic continued, levitating the cage full of grey creatures onto the table at the front of the room, his arms still crossed. The cage door opened on its own and the rats began to float around the room, distributing themselves in front of each student unable to move, “Work in groups to be sure you’ve got the hang of it.” Then after a few seconds he added, “And don’t cast on each other; it’s still against the law, even in class.”_

_“Can we pick our own groups?” some Ravenclaw a few rows ahead of me asked._

_“Group with whomever you’d like,” Vostic continued as he rolled his eyes, “The hell would I care?”_

_“Ms. Macmillan,” a voice suddenly called out from behind me and I turned to spot that Mudblood chaser for Hufflepuff, Kristoffer I think his name was. He was Norwegian if I remember right but Durmstrang wouldn’t let him step foot in their doors, what with the dirt in his blood, so he brought his sorry arse here. He’d be better off with the muggles where he belongs._

_Myone turned her head to look toward the call and smiled brightly to which I narrowed my eyes. What’s she got to be so happy about, bloody mudbloods wanting to group with her? That’s nothing to be proud of._

_“Care to join ours?” he asked, motioning to himself and another Hufflepuff beside him. Halfblood if I remember right. She smiled again and nodded in affirmation before standing and letting her rat trail behind her, flouncing past Ryland’s desk in the center aisle toward the back row._

_“What’s she doin’?” Ryland asked, turning toward me after staring after her in confusion, “A halfblood and a mudblood. Does she know?”_

_I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe she didn’t know. Maybe I was too harsh with her. Poor girl’d only been here a month after all; we’d had our whole lives to know who didn’t belong in our society._

_“Finished chatting ladies,” Vostic snarled annoyed, glaring down at us with a sneer._

_“Just nearly,” I replied to which his nose twitched in annoyance._

_“Imperius Curse. I trust you’ve heard of it,” Vostic questioned sarcastically._

_“Once or twice,” Ryland nodded affirmatively._

_“Let’s see then.”_

_“Finite; Imperio,” Ryland cast knowingly, allowing the rat to come out of the body bind before he cast the Imperius. The rat stood stoically on the tabletop as though awaiting its next order._

_“You?” Vostic continued motioning for me to go as well. I nodded and cast the same, the two rats now staring at each other in a similar manner._

_“Adequate.” The Professor stood straight from where he had been leaning over our table to intimidate us when we suddenly heard squealing. A majority of the room stood for a better look and got a show just in time to see Flint’s _Imperiused_ rat rip the head off of Avery’s _Imperiused rat. Blood spurt out onto both their fronts as they laughed to each other in amusement; the groups of Ravenclaws surrounding them emitting combinations of amusement and disgust.__

_Smug looks crossed the lips of both Ryland and I at the commotion and I could have sworn a heard Myone’s voice mutter out, “How horrid,” from the back of the room._

_“Those idiots will be banned from any ministry or Auror jobs for that; they’re both of age,” Tom commented disapprovingly; turning in his stool to look to me and Ryland, Alphard beside him. Alphard must have moved to group with Tom since Myone had teamed up with the dirty blood._

_“They’re just having a bit of fun,” Ryland replied, rolling his eyes and poking his rat in the eye with his wand._

_“We’re of age now. That holds responsibility in the wizarding world. If you want power; and you can’t tell me, Ryland, that you don’t…” Ryland stopped poking his rat’s eye and pulled the wand away, the eye now lodged on the end of it, “Then you have to make people like you. Power comes from two things: being the strongest wizard in the room and being the most well liked.”_

_“Bollocks,” Ryland scoffed, wiping the eye off his wand using the edge of the table, “If you’re the strongest then you don’t have to be liked, look at Grindelwald.”_

_“Look at all those people working for him,” Tom countered._

_“Well they certainly aren’t doing his bidding because he won some sort of popularity contest.”_

_“Maybe not, but they wouldn’t lay down their lives if they didn’t trust him, believe in him. Would you stand behind Avery and Flint?”_

_“Hell no, those blokes are as dim-witted as they come. They just had two rats ripping each other’s heads off.”_

_“I rest my case,” Tom replied, turning back to his own table and working with his rat as I stared down at Ryland’s._

_“What are you gonna do about that now?” I asked, motioning toward the empty eye socket._

“I always forget how cruel you were to Poftin Kristoffer in school,” Myone said haughtily, turning to glare at her husband, “And to animals for that matter.”

“It extended to after Hogwarts as well. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten when he came by Mungo’s to ‘Take you out’.”

“He was just being nice. He wasn’t going to try anything. He knew we were married.”

“That wouldn’t have stopped me,” Abraxas scoffed, crossing his arms childishly.

“My goodness,” Myone replied, rolling her eyes, “Someone is a spoil sport.”

“I don’t particularly care for when someone tries to touch what’s mine.”

“Yours, am I?” Myone huffed annoyed, turning on the couch to stare at him hard, “Buy me at the auction did you?”

“Well, that’s not…you know that’s not…I didn’t mean…”

“That’s what I thought,” Myone replied smugly, turning back to her grandson and smiling widely.

“I see who wears the pants here,” Draco muttered under his breath, Myone’s grin widening at that.

“Anyhow…” Myone continued,

_I was all caught up reading through my Traditional Studies books, though I still sometimes mixed things up. I know knew that I was not supposed to be alone with a man and shouldn’t have even taken Alphard’s invitation to Hogsmeade. Apparently in “good society”, ladies don’t go about with gentlemen and a lady may never be under the “protection” of a man anywhere; not even her intended. His friends and family have to send invitations on his account. If I had a fiancé and his mother wanted to meet me, he couldn’t take me, she’d have to invite me; if she told him to bring me by that would be “improper”. What utter rubbish._

_How those boys haven’t figured out that I’m not pureblood yet is anyone’s guess. Either their ignorant, stupid, know nothing of proper etiquette for ladies, or some combination therein. But Eileen Prince knew for sure and she’d been warning me loads._

_Since the day she’d caught me and I’d been tempted to obliviate her, I’d more than thanked the stars that I hadn’t. She’d been invaluable to me with her knowledge of pureblood behavior. It was now nearing the end of the first week of December and I was caught up with my tomes for class so I didn’t feel so far behind. Since I was no longer considered Dreadful in Traditionals_ _,_ _I spent some of my free time in the library or abandoned classrooms with Eileen._

_I still spent time with the Slytherin boys and the Gryffindors just like Eileen spent time with her Gobstones Team but we’d meet up for a few hours at least once or twice a week, going over different things purebloods were expected to know. I’d also discovered that Eileen had an interest in Muggles and I shared some of the things I knew of Muggles of the 40s; I had to be careful not to share any future knowledge since the secrets I shared with Eileen didn’t extend past my blood status and she knew nothing of my time travel._

_“You’re getting much better,” Eileen commented quietly, walking just a step behind me as we moved toward the library where I would be meeting up with Alphard, Ryland, Tom, and Abraxas and Eileen would be heading off to Gobstones practice._

_“That’s a relief,” I smiled reassuringly, “You really are good at this. Perhaps you could be the Traditionals teacher once Madam Black crawls back under whichever stone she crawled out from.”_

_“I doubt she’ll leave until she determines suitable matches for all her grandchildren. She pretends she’s here to help the next generation of pureblooded ladies of society but she’s really just here to determine the best candidates for her offspring. I’d bet she’d marry them to each other if the ministry allowed it.” Eileen could be quite caddy when she wanted to be._

_Alessandra and Odelia passed by to which Eileen immediately stopped talking, staring at the floor and letting her footfalls shorten so that the gap between us grew._

_I ignored it, knowing that she was frightened of almost everyone. Even Evelyn Rosier, as dim and harmless as she was._

_Once Eileen was sure_ _the_ _corridor was vacated she closed the distance between us and I asked, “She wouldn’t really marry them to each other_ _?"_

_“But of course. Nothing ‘better’ or ‘more Pure’ than the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and Madam Black wants nothing less than the best and most pure for her family even if her family already bears the Black crest.”_

_“That’s horrid,” I huffed, shaking my head disapprovingly, “And they wonder why it’s almost always the pureblooded families that have squibs. It’s the inbreeding_ _,_ _it creates defects in the DNA over generations.”_

_“Is that true?” Eileen asked, eyes wide as she moved in front of me to stop our progression toward the library, “I mean, is that really the source of the squib problem?”_

_“The most likely,” I shrugged, embarrassed that she was so intrigued by a whim of mine that I’d never fully researched, “I mean if you take muggle royalty in the middle ages for example; the inbreeding there caused learning disabilities over generations and led to the end of their male heir and research suggests that it also led to blood disorders. Purebloods talk of_ _the_ _dirty blood_ _in everyone else_ _but theirs may be worst of all.”_

 _Eileen looked on in wonder but moved to the side so we could reach the library_ _,_ _her eyes whipping back and forth from one side to the other as she blinked rapidly, clearly processing the information._

_We reached the front doors of the library and paused, her eyes still flashing about dangerously, “Eileen?”_

_“Hmm?” she asked startled, looking up at me as though forgetting I’d been there._

_“You alright?”_

_“Fine,” she replied, forcing a smile, “I’d better head off to Gobstones, “Have fun with your boys.”_

_“Not my boys,” I mumbled out, pushing my way into the library and inhaling deeply, I’d missed the familiar smells of the books over the last few weeks; even after all the years that would pass and all the students that would grace the halls, the library would still smell the same. It was reassuring and comforting._

_“Myone,” Ryland called, standing up from his chair to call out, earning a chastising reprimand from Madam Oxkin. He was looking a bit sheepish when I arrived at their table while Tom had an annoyed look on his face and his arms crossed._

_“Hello all,” I smiled, taking an open seat and setting down my beaded bag beside me not missing the curious look Tom gave it._

_“Hello, Myone,” Abraxas smiled, nodding politely._

_“Myone,” Tom added with a curt nod._

_“We’re working on Transfiguration,” Alphard informed me cautiously. We hadn’t talked much since Hogsmeade and had been on thin ice since, sticking with simple pleasantries to keep down the awkwardness that attempted to rear its head._

_“Ahh,” I nodded. We didn’t have Transfiguration together as I had it with the Ravenclaws but I assumed the assignments to be the same for all seventh years._

_“So we’ve got another Hogsmeade Day this weekend,” Ryland suddenly called out, causing me to stiffen and glance at Alphard out of the corner of my eye nervously. He too looked nervous and concerned, his body tense. Tom looked furious at Ryland’s lack of tact and Abraxas reached over and thumped him on the shoulder hard._

_“Oy,” Ryland huffed in pain, “What was that for?”_

_“For being an insensitive git,” Abraxas replied, glancing in my direction discreetly to which I avoided his gaze._

_“I hadn’t realized it would be so soon after the last one,” I replied a bit awkwardly._

_“They want to be sure everyone had sufficient time to shop for Christmas,” Tom mentioned casually with a shrug._

_“Ahh,” I replied nodding in agreement, “Are you lot all going?”_

_“Can’t very well not go,” Abraxas huffed, “Mother’s expecting a present this year. Forgot last year and she ‘forgot’ to make Christmas dinner. Father sent me eighteen galleons last week and said it better be good this year or to not bother coming out for Holiday.”_

_Alphard tried to cover his amusement and failed miserably. The laughter catching around the table as we all laughed._

_“It’s not funny,” Abraxas remarked with a glare that reminded me of Draco, “She’d even demanded the House Elves reorganize the attic on Christmas so Father and I couldn’t even find them to get a bit of soup.”_

_Tom chuckled lightly at that and I realized that he could look personable if he wanted. I eyed the group of boys, really eyed them for the first time. All four were attractive, smart, and considered wealthy and pureblooded since no one knew the truth regarding Tom’s family; these were the cream of the crop. These four boys were the pick of the litter type boys. They could get any woman they wanted with no effort and they didn’t really even need contract marriages, they could marry for love if they wanted._

_“Are you boys pick of the litter?”_

_“What?” Abraxas asked, coughing as he tried to stop his laughter._

_“Pick of the litter?”_

_“I’m not familiar with that term, sorry,” Tom clarified, studying me closely._

_“Well pureblood ladies have this term-” I was suddenly interrupted with a groan._ _I glared openly at the group and huffed haughtily at them,_ _“As I was saying; pureblooded ladies have this term for girl’s who have such a status in our world that they don’t need the bump a contract marriage gives them and they can essentially have anyone they want. They’re called pick of the litter girls. I was just wondering if you boys were considered pick of the litter boys.”_

_“Well my contract’s already drawn up,” Alphard remarked, raising a brow and slouching his shoulders._

_“The lovely Gertrude Flint asked for his hand and he has so graciously accepted,” Ryland replied, making kissy noises to the air until Tom cast a silencing charm on him._

_“Your noises were about to make me sick on myself,” he remarked in a bored tone before turning to me, “I don’t plan to marry. I plan to become a great wizard. Worrying over a woman would just hold me back.”_

_“That wasn’t insulting Tom,” I remarked sarcastically, pursing my lips at him._

_“But none the less it was the truth,” he replied, raising a brow._

_“And I do appreciate it,” I replied before turning to the silenced Ryland and Abraxas, “What about you two. Forced marriage or your choice?”_

_“Well,” Abraxas replied tightly, “I’ll just have to see. Mother will ask my opinion to be sure. She wants me happy, always says so anyway so I know she’d let me choose if I want someone specific but she’ll still contract it, make sure it’s all legal and the brawd chosen fits her requirements.”_

_I nodded, that made some sense. I ceased Tom’s silencing charm as it wasn’t nearly as strong one his future self would be able to perform and eyed Ryland_ _,_ _awaiting his response._

_“Odelia Greengrass,” he shrugged out after a second. The three boys around the table raised their brows clearly surprised by the news. Odelia was one of Alessandra’s little group and though not the smartest, wasn’t the stupidest either. “She doesn’t know yet,” he continued, “Her mum and dad and mine talked it out and signed the contract. She’s still set on marrying Tom but we all know that’s not about to come about. I’m a bit worried I’ll lose my bits when they tell her. She’s not like Myone here but she’s formidable in her own way.”_

_The boys nodded numbly, clearly surprised at the news._

_“Sorry,” I said suddenly, “I hadn’t realized this was such a touchy subject.”_

_“What about you?” Alphard asked curiously._

_“What about me?”_

_“Who is yours?” Alphard continued, leaning forward in his seat a bit with the rest of the group, why were they so interested in my intended. It was none of their bloody business anyway._

_“I don’t know?” I said after a moment, “Whomever my parents choose I guess. I don’t do much dating so I don’t much care.” I was lying through my teeth but what else was I supposed to say. Make up some pureblood name. It would have to be one that they wouldn’t talk to so they wouldn’t bother to validate and the only one I could think of off the top of my head was Charlus Potter and that wasn’t worth the possible problems that could arise. No, better to just leave it up in the air._

_“I can ask my Mum about available blokes if you’d like,” Alphard offered with a shrug._

_“Thanks but I’ll just wait and see,” I replied, wincing a bit at the idea of a Black finding me a “suitable” man and imagining what types would arise from the woodwork._

_“Alright,” he replied with a shrug. I spared a glance at Abraxas who looked contemplative and confused, as if he was thinking about something that didn’t make any sense, even to himself. He was an odd one, that Malfoy. At least with Draco I knew he was just a git; he was rather open about it. Abraxas on the other hand was a bit more subtle and kept to himself a bit more. He was clearly still a purist, a term Eileen referred to as someone who held Purebloods in a higher regard than all others but he was a bit different, held his insults closer to the vest. All four of them did. Perhaps it was due to their futures in the Ministry and their need to be more sly and cunning as per their house description._

_Suddenly Abraxas’ eyes held mine and he stared blankly at me until I looked away in confusion, what an odd bloke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine that Dueling DADA would have had allowed more than typical DADA and the use of the Unforgivables in a controlled setting would be one of them. It is known that they need the knowledge on their NEWTs and they'd come up against it with Grindelwald out there so I imagine that they would get a bit of practical experience, though closely monitored.


	22. Meeting of the Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myone assists Abraxas in deciding the Christmas gift for his mother and makes her opinions well known before Madam Black does the same. After which Tom hosts the last meeting of his inner Circle (to be known in the future as the Knights of Walpurgis and then the Death Eaters) before Christmas Hols.

_“Do you think my Mum will like this?” I asked Myone curiously, turning it over in my hand. She stared at me blankly for a moment before raising an eyebrow and frowning,_

_“Are you looking at that set of Quidditch Balls and asking me that question?”_

_“Um…”_

_“You are not asking me if your Mum would like, for her Christmas present, that Quidditch Ball set?”_

_“Nah…no.”_

_“That’s right you’re not,” she nodded and I paused as she yelled at me much like my mum would. “I thought we were in Splintwitches to buy something for Alphard and Ryland, not for your mother. Are you looking for your mum right now?”_

_I faltered, unsure of what the right answer should be. Tom, Ryland, Alphard, Myone, and I had all come to Hogsmeade to pick up presents before the Holiday. Tom was in Tomes and Scrolls, Alphard was in Scrivenshaft's, and Ryland was in Honeydukes. I’d asked Myone if she would help me get a gift for my Mum and she’d agreed but I said I had to stop in Splints’._

_She was glaring more than before now…_

_“Honestly Abraxas, you’re like a child. You are not getting your mother anything to do with Quidditch. What does your mother like to do?”_

_“I don’t know.”_

_“That’s not helpful,” she remarked, crossing her arms._

_“Well I_ don’t _know.”_

_“You’re being very difficult,” she said before turning and walking out of the shop. I watched her_ _through_ _the shop window for a second before setting the set of Quidditch balls back on the shelf._

_“You best hurry and catch your wife,” the shop keep commented with a wry grin._

_“Not my wife,” I replied with a roll of my eyes and an annoyed tone._

_“Intended then,” the man continued as though it were obvious. Not wanting to hear any more obnoxious things I hurried from the shop just in time to see her bushy head disappear into Dogweed and Deathcap._

_Once inside_ _, I_ _walked through the dimly lit aisles ‘til I found her, reading the sides of the tins on a shelf, “What are you doing?”_

_“There you are,” she replied, handing a tin to me as she reached for another, “Does that one have Burdock in it?”_

_“What?”_

_“Look at the tin ingredient list…burdock.”_

_“Oh – yes.”_

_“Guelder Rose?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Comfrey?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Skullcap?”_

_“No.”_

_“Is your mum pregnant?”_

_“What? No!”_

_“Then she can have skullcap. We’ll get this one. Here give me that and I’ll put it back.” I handed her the tin and she set it back amongst the others_ _before_ _handing_ _me the one in her hand and moving to the shopkeeper._

_“What is this anyway?” I asked as I turned it over in my hand curiously._

_“It’s an herbal tea for wellness. I don’t know what your mum likes so I had to venture a guess but if your guess_ _was_ _Quidditch supplies then I guess it wouldn’t take much, would it?”_

_I glared at her but said nothing as I paid the shop keep who just smiled weirdly and winked at me before we left._

_Then she all but dragged me into Dervish and Banges stating that a tin of tea_ _wasn't_ _enough for a Christmas gift. She took me around for ten minutes before finding charmed music boxes that_ _,_ _when you lifted the lid_ _,_ _the two little people inside would dance around for you and fetch the jewelry you stored within when you asked for it. Rather handy for mum_ _,_ _I had to admit._

_We purchased that as well before heading back toward the Three Broomsticks where we’d told the others we’d meet._

_“Do you think your mum will like it?” she asked, wringing her hands together a bit self-consciously as we walked. “I didn’t mean to just take charge like that. You probably know more about what your mother would like than I would. I apologize if I was too forceful.”_

_“Its fine,” I replied flippantly, “I really didn’t know what to get for her so this made my shopping much easier.” Oddly enough, what I’d said was true. Despite her being the pushiest little swot I’d ever met, it didn’t bother me like I expected it to._

_But what about that man in Splintwitches; commenting on us being together. He’d assumed us to be married. I couldn’t even imagine being married to someone as bossy and opinionated as her. A wife was supposed to respect her husband, be silent in public, show obedience. Those were all good qualities in a wife. Grandfather had told me all about what to look for in a spouse that one summer the man had come to Malfoy Manor._

_I tried to imagine what a good obedient wife would look like. A wife who would be silent when I told her to. Immediately Alessandra Lestrange or one of the Carrow girls came to mind and I cringed. I’d rather not wake to that for the rest of my life. So what did I want then? Maybe I didn’t even know. Lovely._

_“Are you even listening to me?” Myone huffed annoyed, her hands on her hips in annoyance, her lips pursed tightly in anger._

_“Sorry, what?” I replied, quirking a smile at her annoyed look._

_“I said; if the types of presents you’ve gotten her in years past were anything like a set of Quidditch balls then I can see why she wouldn’t allow Christmas Dinner.”_

_“I’ll have you know those were solid gold.”_

_“And pray tell what is your mother going to do with a solid gold Bludger besides throw it at you when you upset her?”_

_“Are you quite finished?” I asked, rolling my eyes as I pushed open the door to the Three Broomsticks for her and followed her in as she led the way to where Ryland, Tom, and Alphard were already seated._

_“Hello,” she smiled, seating herself and sliding in close to Alphard so to give me ample room._

_“Hello,” Tom responded in kind._

_“Have you been waiting long?” she asked curiously, “I apologize for the delay. Some people are not aware of what constitutes an appropriate gift.”_

_“What did he try to buy this time for his mummy dearest? Another portrait of himself riding a broom?” Alphard guessed with a wry grin._

_“I will have you know that all of my gifts are in great taste and she always tells me how much she loves them,” I huffed. Mum loved my portrait on the broom._

_“You did not give your mum a portrait of you on a broom!” Myone replied appalled. Her eyes wide in astonishment._

_“It wasn’t any old portrait, it moved. It looked like I was flying across the night sky.”_

_“You are unbelievably conceited,” she remarked with wide eyes, a smile flitting across her lips._

_I turned my head away from her in annoyance to find the barkeep and looked straight into the bosom of Madam Black. I fought a cringe as I looked up to her face which was currently staring daggers at Macmillan._

_“Ms. Macmillan,” she began shrilly and the girl’s nose crinkled ever so slightly, “Did you just inform Mr. Malfoy that he was ‘conceited’? Have my lessons taught you nothing of proper etiquette for young ladies. And why are you seated so close to my Grandson? If I wasn’t…I am…I am just beside myself at the moment. I must apologize.”_

_Myone seemed confused for a second, before turning to stare at Alphard who had a sheepish and apologetic look on his face._

_“Grandmother,” he said after a moment, “Its fine. No harm done.”_

_“Have you forgotten your intended?” she remarked haughtily._

_“Of course not, I am ever so overjoyed to merge with the Flint line,” Alphard stated, trying to hide his disdain and doing a poor job._

_“As you should. It seems that some wizarding families are better than others. Pure or not.”_

_“It seems they are,” Myone replied, twirling her fork in a circular manner between her index finger and thumb in a bored and drawn out way._

_Madam Black seemed to resemble a ruffled Hippogriff that had been insulted, she suddenly shook her head and let her hair shake out before moving away quickly._

_Once we were sure that she was gone, Myone turned to Alphard and asked curiously, “Is it wrong that I suddenly had the urge to snog you, just to see the look on her face?”_

_The table suddenly burst into fits of laughter. And while I laughed I couldn’t help the odd feeling I felt at the idea of Myone wanting to snog Alphard…and I wasn’t even completely sure what it meant._

* * *

_We headed back to Hogwarts early. Myone parting ways as we made our way toward the dungeons before suddenly veering off and going into an abandoned classroom. Tom had dubbed this our area, Slytherins only. It was only accessible to those Tom allowed as he’d done enough enchantments and wards on the room that anyone else would be immediately rendered unconscious if they even walked inside._

_He moved to the front of the room where the long conference table sat and settled himself at the head, Ryland and I on either side of him, Alphard on Ryland’s left. We sat there about ten minutes in relative silence before other Slytherins began to filter in, taking seats around the table._

_Desmond Avery, Leon Flint, Willard Goyle, Yorick Mulciber, Chester Crabbe, Augustus Rookwood, Antonin Dolohov, Walden Macnair, Rudolph Lestrange, Orion Black, and Nikolai Roverts.   With that many people sitting in such a small space it was eerily silent. There was no talk of anything. No talk of Hogsmeade, no talk of Quidditch, nothing at all._

_We continued to sit in silence for about five minutes. The newcomers fidgeting in their chairs uncomfortably. “Welcome,” Tom stated, a few jumping having not expected him to speak so suddenly._

_“I am glad to see you were all brave enough to return.” Then more silence, “It seems we have some things to discuss; first, new business. Mr. Avery, Mr. Flint, if you would be so kind as to make your way to the front.”_

_The room grew tense and Tom nonverbally turned his chair 90 degrees in Ryland’s direction, Flint and Avery turning their heads tentatively toward him as his chair screeched across the floor. I noticed them fidget even more as they stood from their chairs and made their way toward Tom, their eyes darting wildly in nerves._

_“As many of your are probably aware, Mr. Flint and Mr. Avery put on quite a show during Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier this week. Even the few of you not in our Dueling Defense class have heard news of this harrowing tale by now.” The two were now standing in front of him, wavering from one foot to the other due solely to fear. “They seem to forget however that the use of unforgivables in the presence of anyone who works in accordance with the ministry is without doubt a guaranteed way of ensuring that you will not be there in the future.” His voice never wavered in volume and it was his calm, cool, and collected voice that unnerved the men around the table the most._

_Tom now turned in his chair to face the group while the chair still faced Avery and Flint. “But I understand the thrill you seek,” he continued, his voice raising a bit in volume, “And here, away from prying eyes I shall ensure that you receive it.” He turned back to Flint and Avery, “You seem to be quite fond of the Unforgivables.”_

_He stared at them expectantly as they stared back wide-eyed. He raised a brow. “Um, yes,” Avery nodded realizing that Tom was waiting for an answer._

_“Good,” Tom nodded, lacing his fingers together and letting his elbows rest on the armrests; “I will allow you to practice the Cruciatus on one another.”_

_There was an eerie silence that ran throughout the room at that. Everyone knew that Flint and Avery were thick as thieves. The idea that they were torture one another for any reason was nerve-wracking._

_Tom had done things for all of them throughout their years at Hogwarts and they for him, there was a respect; but they all knew Tom was not a wizard to be trifled with, if he told you to do something you did it – immediately._

_The two began to look hopefully around the table as though for a way out and everyone avoided their gaze. Finally realizing they weren’t about to get out of this, Desmond Avery and Leon Flint turned to face each other, their eyes wide and nervous. Avery raised his wand first and muttered out, “I’m sorry brother; Crucio.”_

_Flint immediately hit the ground, his body convulsing and many of the group around the table stood from their seats for a better look. I attempted to appear disinterested as did Ryland who was closest to the commotion; though we did lock eyes and he rolled them, finding their fascination with this entire thing a bit rudimentary, I couldn’t help but agree._

_Avery continued to point his wand at Flint for a few more seconds, the man continuing to flop about on the floor screaming. I was quite relieved to have had the forethought to throw up a few silencing charms around the room before the meeting began._

_Avery finally released the curse breathing heavily and bracing his hands on his knees as Flint rolled onto his back and laid out flat, his limbs spread out from his body and his white dress shirt dripping with sweat._

_“For shame, Mr. Avery,” Tom finally replied once Desmond had gotten his breathing back in order, “That was not your best effort. Perhaps Mr. Flint can do better.”_

_At this, Avery looked up wide eyed and appalled._

_“Yes,” Tom nodded subtly, “I know that you weren’t putting a full effort into that curse. You have to feel it.” His nose crinkled at the word feel and he smiled sinisterly, “You have to want to see him in pain.”_

_Now he looked to Flint. “Mr. Flint. Will you be able to curse your friend; your brother,” he openly sneered at the term of endearment, “Can you do what needs to be done?”_

_The man was lying on the floor, still his body shaking, “I can’t.” He blubbered, “I can’t. I just want to play Quidditch. I don’t…I don’t…. I can’t please.”_

_“Fine,” Tom replied, disinterested, “Mr. Avery. It seems that Mr. Flint is unable to - unfit to enact your punishment; therefore I will take the task for myself.”_

_There was a few gasps throughout the room at that. Tom was the most powerful wizard at Hogwarts by far, if he crucio’d Desmond it would be more excruciating that the whole room doing so all at once._

_Suddenly Flint called out from the floor desperately, “No. Please. I’ll do it. Please let me do it. I’ll do it right. Please.”_

_“Suddenly, Mr. Flint is enthused to take over the punishment of his brother. Blood is thicker, is it not? Well what are you waiting for? We do not have all day. Things to do, NEWTs to study for.”_

_Flint struggled to stand before falling to his knees, “Dolohov, a chair for our star.” Antonin stood and grabbed Avery’s previously abandoned chair before moving it to Flint and helping him into it. Leon sagged into the wood almost bonelessly and Dolohov reached down and handed Flint the wand he was unable to summon on his own._

_Taking shallow breathes Flint concentrated hard, his breathing labored, and his eyes closed as he pointed his wand toward Avery and shouted with conviction, “Crucio.”_

_Immediately, you could see the change in the curse. While Flint had flopped and screamed, Avery began to do so much more it was as though he was attempting to crawl from his own skin. This time, unlike before, I stood from my seat to watch as Avery bucked wildly on the floor and began to claw at himself almost trying to free himself from what was happening._

_Finally after what felt like an eternity, even over the screaming of Avery on the floor, you could hear Tom state in a volume that was barely above a whisper, “That’s enough.”_

_Immediately the screaming ceased and Avery lay motionless on the floor. I thought him dead for a moment before he began to breathe and I began to as well. I wasn’t sure how we’d explain to Slughorn that Avery died in an abandoned classroom during a Hogsmeade Day. Very sketchy._

_“Better,” Tom nodded, pointing off to a corner of the classroom and transfiguring a table into a crude bed. “Set him there for the remainder of the meeting. He has now both had his fun and been punished for not taking my instructions seriously. I encourage all of you to take my directions with zeal and enthusiasm. I have no room in my ranks for half-hearted efforts. He will be unconscious for the remainder of the meeting, I wager. I do hope that you, Mr. Flint, will be able to fill him in on what transpires?”_

_“Oh, um, yes…yes sir.”_

_“Wonderful. Please take your seat back to the table and we will move onto old business.”_


	23. The Fountain of Fair Fortune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for the Yule dinner and the play put on by Professor Beery but it may just spell disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bolded parts are narration by Feliks from the Fountain of Fair Fortune from the Tales of Beedle the Bard. I do not own the Tales of Beedle the Bard, the Fountain of Fair Fortune or Harry Potter; but I do own the concept of poor Feliks...future ministry employee.

_Time seemed to fly by and before long it was Christmas. I still hadn’t found anything to get me any closer to getting home however and had eventually decided to spend my time on more productive endeavors…coursework. My grades in all of my classes had been on the rise, even Traditional Studies, though none of the girls in Malfoy and Riddle’s fan club liked me any better than before._

_From what I knew, mostly everyone was heading back on the train to see family and as much as I pretended it didn’t bother me, the idea of spending Winter Hols alone with Tom Riddle was dreadfully unsettling. I simply kept telling myself that he was my friend here and that maybe he wouldn’t turn out to be a homicidal Dark Lord; that and I could just hide out in the library or the Gryffindor Commons until winter Hols was over._

_“Can you hand me that bauble?” Ottilie asked me, stretching her reach as she leaned dreadfully close to the edge of a stepstool while on her tip toes, one hand on the tree in front of her to keep her balance._

_“Of course,” I nodded, shaking my thoughts from my head and bending down to pick it up quickly from a box to hand to her. We were currently setting up the Great Hall for the dinner that afternoon as it was the responsibility of the Traditional Studies class._

_“You seem to be thinking hard about something?” she asked me as she hung the bauble and I went back to stringing my tinsel._

_“I am,” I replied with a heavy sigh, “It’s sad that everyone is leaving for Winter Hols.”_

_“Look on the bright side, you’ll have Tom all to yourself. Think of all the girl’s who’d be jealous of that. Besides, he is a close friend,” she responded and I faltered, unsure of how to respond. What should I say, that one of my “close friends” scared me half to death and the idea that I was to be left alone with him over winter holiday made me incredibly uncomfortable? Not bloody likely._

_“Ahhh, hello my dears,” a thin gangly man suddenly shouted from the entrance of the Great Hall effectively saving me from explaining myself to Ottilie. He was wearing glasses that appeared too large for his head and as he moved between two tables he clasped his hands together excitedly. I didn’t recognize him but understood him to be a teacher. His robes seemed to billow out behind him but in a way that was completely different than that of Professor Snape. He had an almost theatrical quality to it and I realized immediately that he must be the man setting up the performance._

_“That’s Professor Beery,” Ottilie whispered, leaning toward me, still wary of the stepstool, “He’s the Herbology teacher.”_

_I did a double take at that, “How does he work with all those plants with robes like that? Doesn’t it catch and try to drag him off or something?”_

_“Constantly,” Ottilie giggled, “He’s a bit of a laughing stock. Dippet’s warned him off those robes but he refuses; says they ‘Give ‘im a certain quality’.”_

_I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at that, what an idiot. I was quite relieved to not be taking Herbology; that was for sure. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to avoid drawing attention to myself or my laughter._

_I sat down at the Slytherin table against the end wall as I’d already run out of tinsel for the tree and Ottilie was currently stringing up the last bauble and instead I watched as Professor Dumbledore strolled in casually to a now slightly distraught Professor Beery. How that man got so panicked in less than two minutes is anyone’s best guess._

_“Ahhh Albus…have you got it? Is everything ready? Will everything be set for tonight?”_

_“That is completely up to you Herbert,” Professor Dumbledore replied diplomatically, “But my responsibilities have been more than accounted for and are in the right store room just there.” He pointed to a door on the right side of the hall and I watched as the fidgety teacher’s shoulder’s slumped in relief._

_“You’re a life saver Albus, thank you,” Professor Beery replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose._

_“Not a problem my friend,” Professor Dumbledore responded, patting him on the back before going to talk in hushed tones with Madam Black who was barking at a house-elf._

_“Ahh!” a voice suddenly shouted, causing all work to cease and all eyes to turn to stare in awe at Professor Kettleburn wearing a pair of short pants and socks up to his knees. It was odd at the best of times for a professor to dress that way but to dress that way with the grounds covered in snow and him being the Care of Magical Creatures Professor was a bit absurd. “Isn’t this exciting?” he continued in his odd, shout-like voice, “This is rather exciting, isn’t it?”_

_Why was he answering his own questions? And why did he appear to be sweating?_

_“Silvanus,” Professor Beery spouted hurriedly, pushing his glasses up his nose as he ran to the stocky Professor in inappropriate garb, “Wonderful! Is everything prepared?”_

_“Everything is as ready as it will ever be,” Professor Kettleburn replied, looking off nervously before he began muttering to himself._

_“This is going to be a smash hit,” Professor Beery proclaimed excitedly, effectively ignoring Professor Kettleburn’s incessant mutterings as he moved about at breakneck speed before ushering all the students out of the room so the professors could finish the set up. They didn’t look entirely thrilled at being volunteered._

_Once we were dismissed, Ottilie ran off to find her boyfriend, the Ravenclaw, and I went down to the kitchens. The Carrow girls were in charge of food preparation and I suspected that it was going to be a disaster._

_I tickled the pear and dashed inside to find Fen sitting at the center table with his cheeks full of confectionary, not unlike a chipmunk._

_“What are you doing?” I questioned, my fists finding my hips as I pursed my lips and he smiled sheepishly back._

_“Taste testing,” he responded, showering the table in front of him with bits of food and I grimaced in disgust before casting a quick scourgify._

_“Where are the Carrows?” I sighed in exasperation, rubbing my forehead from the impending headache._

_“Beats me,” he shrugged, licking icing from his fingers. He was so like Ron. I couldn’t imagine that he’d become the monster I knew he’d become. Maybe me being here changed things? Not that I thought I could possibly be that important; but it seemed hard to believe that he could become the notorious werewolf._

_“What do you mean ‘beats me’?” I shouted, and he looked up at me a bit startled, “They’re in charge of all the food and they haven’t even been here for the last…”_

_“2 hours,” Fen supplied sheepishly._

_“2 HOURS!” I screamed back in astonishment, “You’ve probably eaten more than they made.”_

_“Oh is that what you’re worried about?” he questioned with a smirk that was just pissing me right off._

_“Of course that’s what I’m worried about you ignorant prat.”_

_“The house-elves have everything ready already. It’s all done. Nothing to worry about. I think the Carrows tricked you. Kitchen detail’s easy but most pureblooded girls don’t like looking at house elves they don’t own, say that talking to them is beneath them and if you don’t give them orders it’ll never get done so most won’t do it._

_“No, the Carrow girls probably came down, told the elves the menu, and left,” Fen replied with confidence._

_“Bloody ridiculous,” I glowered furiously, “I was set to come down here and help them.”_

_“You can help me finish off this cake if you like,” Fen offered, and I wrinkled my nose at the mangled bits. It was obvious he’d eaten with his hand._

_“Pass.”_

_“Your loss,” he replied, gathering another handful and continuing on. I shook my head in disbelief and left the kitchens, I had other things to do._

_I was a bit of a ways down the corridor when Nobbs and Charlus came running by before skidding to a halt at my side._

_“Myone,” Charlus half shouted, despite the close proximity, “You seen Fen?”_

_“He’s in the kitchens. Eating cake with his hands,” I responded rolling my eyes. Even as I said it, it sounded ridiculous._

_“Lucky bastard,” Nobbs huffed, and they both took off running toward the kitchens. I couldn’t help myself as I laughed; boys._

_Deciding that I didn’t have anything better to do, I made my way into the library and spotted Eileen off at one of the tables, a book laid out as she skimmed lazily and I smiled. I spoke with her often and Ottilie was friendly to her in the Slytherin dorms but otherwise she mostly kept to herself; much like her son._

_“Hello Eileen,” I said cordially, a smile on my face as I sat across from her. I didn’t have a book with me as my bag was warded under my bed at the moment to keep from misplacing it with all the work I planned to do today._

_“Oh,” she started, looking up at me surprised before giving me a smile in return, “Hello Myone. It’s great to see you. I thought you’d be busy with Traditionals.”_

_“I don’t know. I thought I would be too but none of the girls are doing anything at their stations and Madam Black isn’t paying much attention to much of anything at this point. Everything’s gone to the wayside for this play. I could really care less about this whole thing.”_

_Suddenly Tom was at my side looking out of breath for a reason I couldn’t discern, “Myone, wonderful; I’ve found you. You need to get to the Great Hall.”_

_“The Great Hall, why?” I asked, standing. Tom out of breath and nervous? Something dreadful must have happened, “What’s happened?”_

_“All the girls are there and you’re missing. Lestrange mentioned that she saw you go into the kitchens and then told Charlus and Leach something about eating cake before disappearing. Madam Black’s ready to have your head.”_

_“WHAT?!” I shouted, moving to run to the doors before Tom grabbed my wrist to hold me back._

_“I told Madam Black it wasn’t possible as a female student had come to me for advice that was of the feminine variety and I had directed them to you because the Head Girl was occupied. I told her that you’d tried to challenge me but that a direct order from Head Boy superseded. She yelled a bit about that but you should be fine. Just remember you may need a topic of conversation.”_

_“You covered for me,” I responded in disbelief. Tom Riddle…Lord Voldemort covered for me to keep me out of trouble. Never thought I’d be able to say that._

_“Now you owe me one,” he smirked. Of course I did, I sighed with a huff._

_“Tell her I was asking about the Dragons and the Hippogriffs,” Eileen said quietly, probably startled by the presence of Tom._

_“What?” I asked confused._

_“You know, the Dragons and the Hippogriffs,” she repeated slowly, raising a brow. It didn’t make it a lick clearer but I know she was trying to cover me in front of Tom._

_“The birds and the bees,” Tom added with a raised brow and my eyes grew wide._

_“Ahh, yes. The…the Dragons and…and the Hippogriffs. Of course, of course,” I noticed Tom was giving me an odd look but I ignored it and waved them goodbye, “Thanks.”_

_“Good luck,” Eileen replied, though I could barely hear her since she was so quiet. Tom said nothing, just stared after me._

* * *

_I was seated on a long bench, fourth row; waiting for the play to start when Tom, Abraxas, Ryland, and Alphard came in and moved to sit beside me; Abraxas beside me to my right, then Tom, Alphard, and Ryland all in a row._

_“How did it go?” Tom asked curiously, leaning forward a bit to see around Abraxas._

_“Fine,” I responded with a sigh and a shrug, “Reamed me out a bit but there wasn’t much she could do. You_ are _Head Boy after all.”_

_“That I am,” he smirked, saying it in a purposefully obnoxious manor._

_“What are you two on about?” Abraxas butted in, confused and still stuck between the two of us._

_“Nothing,” I shrugged, smirking as he creased his eyebrows in annoyance at that._

_“But-”_

_Suddenly the lights dimmed and Abraxas was forced to eat his words as the torches near the stage lit and Feliks Korchagin; a Muggleborn Ravenclaw 6 th year, came onto the stage in a set of dress robes and began:_

_“ **High on a hill in an enchanted garden, enclosed by tall walls and protected by strong magic, flowed the Fountain of Fair Fortune**.” Suddenly the fountain was in the middle of the stage, just a bit in front of the curtain and the water that flowed through it had a gleam to it that made it look almost a bit like clear unicorn blood. It was truly a wondrous site. A few students even ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’._

_“ **Once a year, between the hours of sunrise and sunset on the longest day, a single unfortunate was given the chance to fight their way to the Fountain, bathe in its waters and receive Fair Fortune for evermore.**_

_“ **On the appointed day, hundreds of people travelled** …”_

_“What do you think about this story?” Abraxas whispered to me curiously, leaning in and ignoring Feliks as he continued on with his narration._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Well a lot of purebloods don’t like this story; say that it encourages magical/non-magical relations.”_

_“Well that’s a load of hogwash,” I replied with a whispered huff, “While I don’t think they really had time to decide if they truly loved each other over the course of one day, you can’t discount love simply because of where someone came from; that’s stupid.”_

_“You don’t think they could’ve loved each other?” he smirked, enjoying the annoyed look on my face._

_“NO! It’s no wonder her last relationship didn’t work out. It makes you wonder how long they were even together and she’d given up, deeming it necessary to go to the Fountain to be able to get back on her feet. Just get over it. I hate people like her.”_

_“Can you be quiet,” a girl a row behind me whispered harshly, poking me in the back. I turned to see a young Hufflepuff girl that I would later find to be Neville’s Gran, Augusta, “Some of us are trying to watch this.”_

_“Sorry,” I apologized, hitting Abraxas lightly as he laughed at my expense and we went back to the play._

_“ **Pitying each other, the three women agreed that, should the chance befall them, they would unite and try to reach the Fountain together.** ”_

_I looked up at the stage and noticed that the curtain had been pulled back sometime during our conversation to reveal a tall hill that came up out of the stage and the fountain that had been on the stage was now placed carefully at the top of said hill. Standing at the bottom of the hill were three girls in old fashioned robes._

_“ **The sky was rent with the first ray of sun, and a chink in the wall opened. The crowd surged forward, each of them shrieking their claim for the Fountain’s benison. Creepers from the garden beyond snaked through the pressing mass, and twisted themselves around the first witch, Asha.** ”_

_I realized that Asha was Hyacinth Brown. She reminded me a bit of Lavender but I wasn’t sure how they were related. Hyacinth was a 7 th year Hufflepuff who had been excused from helping with the setup for Traditional Studies due to her participation in the play. I think she signed up just to avoid working for Traditional Studies._

_“ **She grasped the wrist of the second witch, Altheda, who seized tight upon the robes of the third witch, Amata.** ”_

_Altheda was Katherine MacDougal, a Ravenclaw 7 th year, if I remembered right and Amata was Cyder Vane the Gryffindor girl I met on my first day here. The knight however, with his armour covering his face, I didn’t recognize. For some reason the knight was standing rather closely to Hyacinth and Cyder was glaring angrily at the two of them._

_“ **And Amata became caught upon the armour of a dismal-looking knight who was seated on a bone-thin horse. The creepers tugged the three witches through the chink in the wall, and the knight was dragged off his steed after them.**_

_“ **The furious screams of the disappointed throng rose upon the morning air, then fell silent as the garden walls sealed once more.**_

_“ **Asha and Altheda were angry with Amata, who had accidentally brought along the knight.**_

_“ **Only one can bathe in the Fountain!** ” Katherine huffed angrily as Atheda, “ **It will be hard enough to decide which of us it will be, without adding another!’**_

_“ **Now, Sir Luckless, as the knight was known in the land outside the walls, observed that these were witches, and, having no magic, nor any great skill at jousting or dueling with swords, nor anything that distinguished the non-magical man, was sure that he had no hope of beating the three women to the Fountain. He therefore declared his intention of withdrawing outside the walls again.**_

_“ **At this, Amata became angry too.**_

_“ **Faint heart!** ” Cyder growled and I had a feeling that it was for more than just the play. She was really angry with him. I sat up taller and looked on in alarm. Something was going to happen, “ **Draw your sword, Knight, and help us reach our goal!** ”_

_“ **And so the three witches and the forlorn knight ventured forth into the enchanted garden, where rare herbs, fruit, and flowers grew in abundance on either side of the sunlit paths.**_

_“ **They met no obstacle until they reached the foot of the hill on which the Fountain stood.**_

_“ **There, however, wrapped around the base of the hill, was a monstrous white Worm, bloated and blind.** ”_

_“What in the world is that?” I asked aloud, eying the “bloated and blind worm”._

_“Don’ know?” Abraxas replied, tilting his head to the side curiously._

_“Isn’t that an Ashwinder?” Tom asked from Abraxas’ other side and my eyes grew incredibly wide in disbelief._

_“Can’t be!” I remarked, leaning forward to talk to Tom who leaned forward as well, “It’d be much too engorged. That’s incredibly dangerous.”_

_“What else could it be?” Tom remarked, challenging me to give a better answer; I didn’t have one._

_The whole thing was compressing and expanding like a caterpillar would do in order to travel but the giant worm wasn’t actually moving at all, just expanding and contracting. I pursed my lips in apprehension remembering Professor Kettleburn coming in wearing shorts and sweating in the dead of winter. It was an Ashwinder…that was the only explanation._

_“ **At their approach, it turned a foul face upon them, and uttered the following words: ‘Pay me the proof of your pain.’**_

_“ **Sir Luckless drew his sword and attempted to kill the beast, but his blade snapped.** **Then Altheda cast rocks at the Worm…** ”_

_The knight pulled his sword and waved it hap-hazardly in the “worm’s” general direction and it was set to snap on its own never going near the worm but the witch playing Altheda, MacDougal, really threw a rock at the Ashwinder and I gasped. The rock hit it, bounced off and went off somewhere - and the Ashwinder exploded._

_Literally blowing apart into a shower of hot sparks, ash, and dust; the Ashwinder’s charred remains covered the entire Great Hall. The sparks set fire to the set that Dumbledore had put together and I grabbed Abraxas’ arm at the suddenness as I’d never gotten over my panic from the war._

_Then Cyder turned on Hyacinth, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying over the screaming in the crowd but they pointed to the knight who was knocked cold on the blazing stage and then they began to throw spells at one another. I rolled my eyes; they were fighting over a boy. Completely ridiculous._

_Realizing that I was still holding onto Abraxas’ arm I quickly released it to which he looked at me rather oddly and all five of us stood._

_“Come on,” Yaxley shouted over the screaming and frantic crowd that was attempting to make their way out of the Great Hall that was now catching more and more fire. Many of the students were getting burned by the sparks and flames that were spreading throughout the hall and I knew the Hospital Wing would be quite full tonight. Madam Treyhart and Dorea Black would definitely have their work cut out for them. “We have to get out of here.”_

_“Go then,” I shouted, noting that the knight was still unconscious and lying on the burning set that was spreading to the tapestries and paintings throughout the room. I pulled my wand and began to quickly cast protection charms over the paintings. Turning back to the four to see them still standing there and debating with themselves on whether or not they should duck out, I decided they were taking too long to decide and decided for them. “Tom,” I shouted, and he turned toward me, “You have fire magic.   Work to control the blaze.”_

_“I’m not that advanced,” he huffed back with a sneer and wide eyes at the implication while also slightly annoyed that there was something he hadn’t mastered._

_“Just do it,” I shouted annoyed. By now, everyone else had run from the Great Hall with exception of the Professors, Tom, Abraxas, Ryland, Alphard, the older Gryffindors, the unconscious knight, and the two girls fighting over him on the disintegrating stage._

_I spotted Caspar Crouch looking on in awe and I shouted to him, “Caspar!” He looked startled that I was addressing him. “Help Tom contain the fire.”_

_“I’m not a plasma affinity,” Caspar shouted back. The fire was crackling loudly now and it was getting incredible hot._

_“You’re liquid,” I shouted back exasperated and his eyes lit up as he nodded,_

_“Right,” before running off to help._

_“We’ve got Eyston,” Charlus shouted as he, Fen, and Nobbs ran toward the stage. So the knight was Eyston Spinnet, a Hufflepuff 7 th year?_

_I spotted Caspar and Professor Flamel directing water through an open window, presumably from the snow outside or unfrozen areas of the black lake and toward the fire, while Tom channeled the fire to keep it from spreading. He couldn’t shrink it; creating and vanishing it was much more advanced and something that I doubted Tom or even Flamel could do._

_I stupefied the girls on stage and Alphard and Ryland took it upon themselves to go up and grab them now that the fire was mostly gone from the stage itself._

_Professor Beery was sputtering and blubbering about everything being ruined. Professor Kettleburn had bolted through the trophy room as he most likely knew he’d be blamed. Professors Dumbledore, Vostic, Videns, Fletcher, and Merrythought were using Aquamenti to put some of the fire out and many of the remaining Gryffindors were moving to do the same._

_In no time at all, the fire was out; though we were all covered in ash and small burns as well as soaked with water much like the Great Hall itself._


	24. The Aftermath and Yule Hols

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone goes off for Yule Hols leaving Tom with ample time to get information out of Hermione, if only she’ll let him. Meanwhile Abraxas contends with his parents and grandfather.

_I sat on the left side_ _bench_ _of the Hufflepuff table as Professor_ _s_ _Vostic, Merrythought, and Dumbledore began to move about the room, attempting to restore some sense of order._

_Beside me on my right sat Caspar Crouch_ _,_ _cradling his hand which was covered in fierce looking burns_ _that were beginning to blister. On the other side of the aisle,_ _Cyder Vane and Hyacinth Brown_ _sat on either side of_ _Eyston Spinnet’s prone body that had been lain atop the Gryffindor table_ _, each holding one of his_ _hands_ _comfortingly as they_ _glared at one another furiously. Hyacinth was petting his hand and alternating between looking down at the Hufflepuff lovingly_ _where he lay unconscious between them on the tabletop,_ _and glaring at the girl on the other side of the table while Cyder was running her fingers along his palm. I rolled my eyes at their stupidity._

_“You alright?” Abraxas asked curiously, soot and pieces of the set that Dumbledore had worked so hard on fragmented in his hair_ _as he startled me out of my staring._

_“Yeah,” I commented with a light cough_ _as I turned to acknowledge him; he_ _simply raised his brow curiously. “Don’t look at me like that,” I scoffed, crossing my arms indignantly, “I’ve had far worse than a small fire.”_

_“Have you now?” he asked, eying my wrinkled and soot covered robes._

_“I have,” I nodded haughtily, “Not that it’s any of your business.”_

_“Guess it’s not really,” he shrugged, perching himself up on the table to my left so he sat higher than I, looking out over the destruction._

_I glanced over at him before surveying the crowd of people who had stayed behind to help. Only Abraxas, Tom, Ryland, and Alphard_ _showed the distinct green of house_ _Slytherin that I could see_ _amongst the crowd._

_“What?” Abraxas asked curiously, following my line of sight to Alphard who was brushing off his Grandmother’s incessant prattling. At that instant I was reminded of Mrs. Weasley and any of her_ _many_ _children._

_“Why did only you four stay from Slytherin?” I asked before I stopped to think about the question I was posing._

_“Probably because you pulled us in. We do embody self-preservation; it’s you brash Gryffindors that are known for your_ _suicidal tendencies_ _.”_

_I turned to glare at him curiously at that, “Me? I made you stay?”_

_“Well Tom probably would’ve been expected to stay, being Head Boy and all_ _," he added with a shrug, "But_ _we’re all a bit known to protect ourselves. Running into a battle headfirst unknowingly isn’t typically the Slytherin style but you shouting out orders like the Minister himself put us in action right quick, I guess you could say.”_

_I turned to stare at the blonde haired boy, gaping about like a fish when the dark haired woman I recognized as Dorea Black kneeled before me at the table and pulled up my robe sleeve revealing an angry red burn. I was lucky she hadn’t pulled up the other sleeve as the term “Mudblood” would have no doubt have been visible due to my lack of concentration._

_“You said you were fine,” Abraxas glared, fixing his gaze on my injury before staring me down._

_“And I told you I was,” I remarked with a shrug, “There are much worse here, I don’t need immediate attention.”_

_“None the less…” Abraxas began before trailing off and looking out in the other direction. Now he was reminding me very much of Draco when he hadn’t gotten his way._

_Dorea looked up at me and her eyes seemed to twinkle not unlike Dumbledore’s. I furrowed my brow as I looked down at the woman who was holding my gaze while still managing to bandage my arm._

_“I’m off to look for Ryland,” Abraxas scowled, standing on the seat and jumping down to the floor before crossing his arms and storming off._

_“What’s going on there?” Dorea asked curiously, glancing between the two of us._

_“What do you mean?” I replied confused, “Nothing.” I waved flippantly in his direction with the arm that wasn’t currently under her scrutiny and replied, “He’s probably just angry I lied to him. Nosey git.”_

_“Is that all?” she responded back and I furrowed my brow in confusion._

_“Yes, Why? What do you_ _imagine_ _his problem is?”_

_“I’m not sure, but it seemed as though he was concerned for your safety.”_

_“Hardly; no Malfoy can concern himself for anything beyond his nose.”_

_“If you’re sure.”_

_“I am,” I replied, nodding my head in agreement._

_“Well your wound is dressed so I’m going to move on to your friend here,” Dorea commented with_ _a nod in Caspar's direction. I nodded and she smiled, giving me_ _a knowing look that frustrated me_ _._ _“It seems he needs some attention as well.”_

_I thanked her and she slid along on her knees to Caspar and I looked over to where Abraxas as laughing with Ryland and Tom, Alphard still attempting to bat off his Grandmother’s hands that were now trying to wipe the soot from his forehead with her handkerchief._

* * *

_The next day they offered breakfast in the common rooms as the Great Hall was still a bit of a disaster. They had served supper there as well the night before; much to the chagrin of Madam Black who I’d seen screaming at Professor Kettleburn when I’d snuck down to the library the night before._

_Seeing as I wasn’t about to go home for holiday, I had gathered up a large collection of books on potion making and charms with the hope that they may assist me in moving through time. I sat with a few of the more nondescript ones in the common room, waving goodbye to my housemates as they came down the staircases and met up with friends before heading down to the carriages._

_I moved my eye to stare back at the passage of “Potion Mishaps throughout History”:_

**_Potions with which to move from one place to another are not uncommon and have been_ ** **_used in the_ ** **_illusions of common Muggle Magicians and Tricksters since first_ ** **_witnessed by said Muggles through a foolhardy_ ** **_Wizard by the name of Woidyn Roftenpole in 1455. Created through an unknown recipe, Woidyn used both Charms and Potions to create a black, sulfur like substance that would spark and cloud when it made hard impact_ ** **_upon_ ** **_the ground. Once impacted, this cloud of dust and sparks worked much like Floo Powder with the ability to transport a witch or wizard to their necessary destination._ **

**_The trouble was that while Woidyn used this means to transport himself_ ** **_,_ ** **_he could easily catch a Muggle within his transport dust and cause a panic at their disappearance. The Ministry outlawed any further transport using these means but Woidyn was determined, believing to be able to go farther, traveling as far as cross-Continental with the plan to even venture forth through time. While the Ministry tried to curtail his inane ideas, Woidyn became more obsessed. Finally in 1457, a mere two years after his original discovery, Woidyn Roftenpole, at the age of 28, attempted to travel back in time and disappeared, never to be seen again._ **

_I sat back in the high-backed armchair and let the open book rest in my lap, a possibility. Difficult, probably deadly, but possible. It would take a few years, even if I dedicated my sole attention to it and dropped out of school it could_ _take me_ _5_ _, even 10_ _years or more._

_If I went back so that I would be the correct age then when I got back Harry and Ron would_ _have families, children of their own. They would've already mourned my apparent death and moved on. The other option would be to go back to when I left; Harry and Ron would_ _be younger than me, five_ _or ten_ _years younger in fact. Would it still be worth it_ _in either case?_ _Of course it would; I’d be back home where I belonged. But would it really be prudent to quit school? Never take my NEWTs? That was never an option. Blast!_

_I picked the book back up and glared at it attempting to find anything that suggested instructions on Woidyn’s original potion but found nothing. Apparently the Ministry didn’t wish to encourage anymore notions of time traveling powder._

_I suddenly felt a tap to my shoulder and my wand was on them in an instant, my eyes wild at the thought of being snuck up on._

_“Sorry, sorry,” Nobbs replied, holding his hands up in surrender_ _as he backed away quickly,_ _“Didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve been calling your name for a full minute but you’ve been a bit out of it.”_

_“Sorry,” I apologized, swiftly_ _tucking away_ _my wand, “I was reading.”_

_“Can see that,” Fen nodded in response, “_ _Just about_ _all you do.”_

_“That’s not all I do,” I replied with a huff._

_“Course not,” Nobbs responded, “Fen’s just a bit of a git.”_

_“You can say that again,” I huffed, rolling my eyes and looking back down at the book before realizing that they hadn’t moved. “Was there something I could help you with?”_

_“Well we were on our way to the carriages,” Fen began, “Just wondering if you wanted to come along.”_

_“Where’s Charlus?” I questioned, noticing the lack of their third musketeer as it were._

_“Feigned injury to spend the night in the Wing with the lovely Dorea Black,” Nobbs grinned, “But he best be careful with Mummy around ready to rip off heads_ _after yesterday_ _.”_

_“Charlus mum is here?”_

_“Hardly,” Fen scoffed, “Charlus gets in enough trouble that his mum doesn’t bother anymore. She knows Hogwarts can patch him up. I more meant Dorea’s mummy dearest.”_

_“You don’t mean…” I began trailing off in disbelief that I hadn’t found the obvious connection before._

_“That’s right,” Nobbs grinned, “Madam Black. And if that old goblin finds out about our Charlus’ feelings for the dear daughter Black I fear for the boy’s life.”_

_“I always though she looked more like an insulted Hippogriff,” I replied before I could stop myself, watching as their eyes lit up with amusement._

_“I quite like that,” Nobbs smiled._

_“Yeah,” Fen nodded in agreement, “Describes her just right.”_

_“Wait,” I suddenly paused, my eyes furrowing, “What time is it?”_

_“Dunno, why?”_

_“You’ll miss the train,” I responded, eying the empty common room._

_“Shite,” Nobbs shouted, grabbing his small rucksack and making a run for the portrait hole. I simply laughed at their poor planning._

* * *

_It was three days later when I’d been interrupted by Tom. I’d run out of books, having finished those that I’d gotten just before Holiday had started_ _. I_ _still_ _hadn't_ _found_ _anything more noteworthy than that of the transport powder._

_I had wanted to fiddle a bit with_ _possible theories for_ _it in the Potion’s classroom but I didn’t dare venture that close to the dungeons without alerting Tom to my existence._

_I had hoped that he’d forgotten that I’d stayed back_ _for the Holiday_ _and would simply keep to himself_ _,_ _but I knew that_ _my luck wasn't good enough for that to_ _last. He’d caught me on my way to the library and now sat across from me, a book laid out before him as we both studied in silence._

_I noticed him stare me down but pretended I hadn’t as I turned a page carelessly, pretending to be excessively interested in the words on the pages; I_ _honestly wasn't even sure what the tome was about_ _._

_“Myone?” he asked curiously, forcing me to look up at him nervously._

_“Yes?”_

_“Do you have your bag on you?”_

_“You know that I do,” I replied, my eyes hardening as I tried to figure out where this was leading._

_“I was wondering if you had any books in there I could read through, I’ve already read through all the interesting ones here,” he continued, motioning to the many rows of tomes here in the library, “And I noticed some interesting titles amongst your personal collection.”_

_Well that one was bullshite and we both knew it. There was no way that Tom had read through all the books in the library of any interest. But shite_ _! What was I supposed to say, ‘No sorry Tom. These are future books and I can’t have you knowing your fate?’ ‘Sorry Tom. We both know I carry almost everything I own in this_ _bag_ _but I neglected to put the books in today.’ ‘Books? We both know I don’t like books.’_

_“Um, sorry. I let Norbert borrow them over holiday. Since Hogwart_ _'s Library_ _books can’t leave Hogwarts grounds,” I_ _tried_ _,_ _hoping it was the truth,_ _“I let him borrow my personal books so he could learn something over Yule. He does want to be Minister someday.”_

_“What a deluded oaf,” Tom huffed, rolling his eyes, “As though they’d ever appoint a Mudblood the Minister of Magic. What idiocy.”_

_“Yes. Yes, I quite agree,” I lied quietly,_ _chuckling uncomfortably as I_ _looked_ _back to my book and_ _knew_ _that if I ever lived through this ordeal, karma was going to come back and bite me in the arse._

* * *

_I was wandering down along the grounds with Tom in silence. I'd long since given up avoiding him. It was a failed prospect anyhow. He seemed satisfied to wander about in silence as it was, so I was pleased about that at the very least._

_We had decided to make our way around the entire perimeter of the castle and I was content to simply hear the sound of our boots crunching the hardened snow along the ground._

_We had just reached the Black Lake when I saw a large man standing at the shore. The lake was surely frozen over, what was he doing standing there? Moreover, who was he? Suddenly he turned slightly and my eyes grew wide with excitement. "Hagrid!" I screamed out, waving my hand over my head frantically._

_He startled slightly, and looked about to run, but I bolted toward him, reaching him before he even had time to decide where to run to and had a firm grasp on his overcoat as I cried desperately. "Oh Hagrid, I've missed you so much. It's so great to see you."_

_"Uhh ‘fraid I don’ quite..." he muttered, trailing off nervously, clearly uncomfortable._

_"Hermione," I supplied, holding tighter onto his heavy fur._

_"'Is nice to see you too 'Ermione," he responded in a somewhat awkward manner, patting my head with his hand. He didn't have his beard yet, I had noticed this as I'd run toward him but had ignored it until this moment._

_"How are you, Hagrid?" I asked curiously, taking a step back to place my hands on his shoulders, taking note of his much more manageable size as I got a good look at him._

_"I'm a'rght 'ermione...is it?"_

_"Yes," I responded with a smile, "Hermione Granger."_

_"Well," Hagrid began awkwardly, adjusting his trousers uncomfortably as I let my arms fall back to my sides, "It’s nice to be meetin’ ye’ and all but I best be gettin' back to feedin' me squid. She's got a special diet ya see. And it's ‘er feedin' time."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry Hagrid. I didn't mean to interrupt her feeding time. I'll leave you alone." I stood there fidgeting for a moment insure of how to continue, "Can I visit you again sometime, maybe?"_

_"Well…” he muttered awkwardly, scratching his head in indecision, “I guess I don' see why not,” he leaned a bit closer and whispered, "Jis' don' bring 'im along will ya 'Mione?" He nudged his head up over my shoulder and I looked over to see Tom looking on curiously from about 50 yards away, “We don’ get on tha’ best, ye’ see.”_

_I nodded blankly before slowly making my way back over to Tom. I had completely forgotten about Riddle the second I’d seen Hagrid. I smiled to Tom and he stared at me impatiently. No, I don’t think he heard anything. Once I’d reached the future mass-murderer, I gave one last wave to Hagid and we continued on our way up the hill and out of sight._

_Tom continued to glance at me off and on and I couldn’t help but take it to be a curious look. After making a bit of distance, I finally stopped moving feeling uncomfortable. Hearing my footsteps cease, he realized I was no longer beside her and paused from up ahead, turning to look at me curiously._

_"What?" I asked him defensively. I’d been berating myself since I lost sight of the lake. How could I have been so foolish? Had Tom heard me say my real name to Hagrid? I still didn’t think so; the wind was whistling and moving in the other direction, plus he’d been so far away, probably 50 meters or more. But, good Godric; what a stupid move. Why had I said it in the first place? It wasn't as though Hagrid would know the difference. It was a lapse of judgment on my part. I could tell myself that I said it because I wanted to hear Hagrid say my name and not that fake alias I’d been going under but that wouldn't be true. I'd said it because I got sloppy and just said my name without a second thought. The truth wasn't sad and sympathetic, the truth was that I was stupid and lost my concentration._

_"Nothing," Tom assured with a shrug of his shoulders, answering the question that I'd forgotten I'd asked. He took a few steps and stopped directly in front of me, staring straight in my eyes and making me exceedingly uncomfortable. "But just be careful around him,” he suddenly warned, “He let a monster into the school two years ago. He was the one responsible for the vicious murder of Myrtle Warren. I managed to figure out who it was before any other students perished but it was too late for her. That’s why you don’t see him about during the day. He’s only allowed out of his shack when the students are in class or away on Holiday. Why the Headmaster even let him stay is beyond me. I know it had something to do with that idiot Dumbledore. The Headmaster expelled him but he should be in Azkaban, not wandering loose about the grounds."_

_"You're right," I ground out furiously, "Someone who unleashed a monster like that should have been sent to Azkaban." Tearing away from his view, I stormed off to the Gryffindor Commons to hide out for a few more days._

* * *

_This was the most depressing Holiday I’d ever had; it was official. Even with all of the books available here that were too rare in my time to even touch, I was getting absolutely nowhere. Every book I finished that brought me nowhere closer to going home just made me sulk in my rooms in Gryffindor Tower more. I didn’t even have the luxury of having the Head Girl rooms anymore. What I wouldn’t give to have my Head Dorms, even if it did mean the existence of Malfoy – Draco. There were now two Malfoys that I had to keep straight._

_In lieu of my mid-Hol depression, I decided to go for a walk to visit the deserted pitch. It would only make the sadness worse but at this point I was going for a personal pity party of one._

_Reaching the base of the deserted pitch, I scooped up a clump of snow and threw it as far as I could; smiling despite myself when it hit the Hufflepuff stands. The snow barely covered the frozen grass due to the drifting and I made it to the center quite easily._

_I stood there and began to look out over the pitch, spinning in circles and watching as the house colors began to blur together. Thinking about how Harry wouldn’t step foot on this grass for almost 50 years. How if I didn’t make it back, I’d be an old woman. I continued to spin, tears were now spilling out over my cheeks and freezing to my face. I paid no mind, I had nothing here. Just people that would be long since dead in my own time._

_“I miss you Harry!” I shouted, finally coming to a stop in my spinning, the tears still falling. “I miss you Mrs. Weasley and your exuberant dinners. I miss the Burrow. I miss you Ron, even if you do lack common sense.   I miss Luna’s imaginary creatures. I miss Ginny prattling on about boys. I miss Crookshanks and Neville and even Draco bloody Malfoy. I miss being home.” I was openly sobbing now and with my last burst of energy I screamed as loudly as I could, “I’m sorry I left you Harry!” before collapsing on the pitch ground._

* * *

_I sat in the dining hall at Malfoy Manor and sighed. It was Christmas Eve and that meant that it was time for another exciting family dinner. Mother was doing…something, I hadn’t paid much attention and father was still at work at the Ministry. Grandfather was off somewhere, hopefully at his own house; finally. He’d been a delight, and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. I thought back to the conversation yesterday and cringed:_

_“Look at this?” he’d said thumping the paper on the table in a huff, “Says Grindelwald’s men have stopped and there will be peace. Peace? What a load of shite! Those Mudbloods are what caused this war and until that Grindelwald finally gets rid of ‘em all, the war won’t be over. You can’t say you’re finished taking a shit if it’s still coming out of your arse. Bloody sympathizers.”_

_“Father,” my father warned, lowering his own paper to glare at grandfather’s outburst._

_“Don’t you father me, you ungrateful prat,” Grandfather huffed, “It’s those Mudbloods and sympathizers that are ruining this for the rest of us.” Then he turned to stare me down._

_“You creating more purebloods yet?”_

_“What?” I asked startled._

_“What are you, 16? You should be married and have some bitch bearing your heir by now.”_

_“I’m almost 18 sir and I’m not yet decided on a wife.”_

_“What’s taking so bloody long? Just pick one with a decent dowry that can shut her mouth.”_

_“Father!” my father shouted, his fist hitting the table hard and my Grandfather turned to glare at him furiously._

_“Fine,” Grandfather huffed, standing and straightening his four piece, “I can tell when I’m not wanted. You think I want to be here anyway? This is supposed to be a vacation but anywhere with you lot is just the opposite.”_

_He’d made it almost to the door when he turned back and reported, “And just so you know Abraxas, I didn’t get you a present. You’ll be getting enough of my hard earned galleons when I die that I figure you can go a few Muggle bred holidays without being rewarded for staying alive.”_

_“It was great to see you too Grandfather,” I replied, with a plastered on smile._

_“Lying shite,” he replied before apparating away._

_And so now we were to Christmas Eve. Mother had made her way into the dining hall and sat quietly as we awaited father from the floo. Despite it being Christmas Eve he was still busy at the ministry. He prided himself on his work ethic, even if it did disregard his family life to do so. But that was what the man did, he provided for his family; and I knew that was what I would do when I graduated._

_I heard the floo activate and sat up straight as Mum raised her wand and rang the tiny bell across the room to signify the start of the meal._

_I could hear the house elves bustling in the kitchen and grinned, I was getting fed this year._

_“Hello all,” Father said in a surprisingly chipper voice as he settled into his chair at the head of the table. The table itself sat at least 16 but there were only the three place settings which reassured me of Grandfather’s absence._

_“Hello Father,” I replied, as Mum said,_

_“Hello love.”_

_“How was everything today while I was out?” he asked curiously as he moved to his seat and an eager house elf ran to his chair and moved it to seat him._

_“I had a tea with the other society ladies,” Mum answered grimly, though I wasn’t sure why._

_“How long do you think we have?”_

_“Not long?”_

_“What are you two on about?” I questioned curiously._

_“Nothing sweetheart,” Mum smiled, waving at me dismissively as the house elves brought out the first course. The rest of the meal went on quite quietly with Father discussing things occurring at the ministry and other normal tidbits. It wasn’t until we were on our 11 th and second to last course when the owls arrived. The owls don’t arrive in the dining room as that would be incredibly improper but a house elf receives the missives and delivers it._

_To my incredible surprise, I had two._

_I, of course, didn’t speak to the house elf that delivered it and curiously looked between the two notices. I hadn’t received much in the way of mail over holiday and to receive two missives in one fell swoop during supper was a bit of an odd case._

_“Who are they from dear?” Mother asked curiously, attempting to crane her neck in order to see the names._

_“This says Tom,” I read and she nodded as I had received much correspondence from Tom over the years, “And this is from…” I paused as I read it over, “Myone._

_“Myone?” Mum questioned, trying to place the name, “Which house is he in? I don’t remember you mentioning a boy named Myone before?”_

_“She’s in Gryffindor Mother,” I mentioned without glancing up, going to Tom’s letter first._

_“Which are you going to open first?” Mum asked curiously, and I looked up to see both her and father staring at me rather strangely._

_“Tom’s why?”_

_“Why not Myone’s first…Just to see what it says,” Mother answered, trying to appear uncaring and failing spectacularly. How that woman was in Slytherin was beyond me._

_“Alright,” I replied giving my parents sidelong glances and I tore the envelope with the letter opener the house elf provided and pulled the parchment._

_I’d made it through the first paragraph of ‘ **Hello Abraxas, I realize you might be busy but it’s a bit lonely here with everyone gone and I find that writing to you makes me feel better. Don’t laugh or I’ll hex you and we both know that I can** ’; when mother interrupted with,_

_“Read it aloud, love.”_

_“Mother,” I replied, scrunching my nose in distaste and rolling my eyes._

_“Listen to your mother Brax,” Father commented, his paper forgotten on the table as he stared at me curiously, “I’m interested to hear the letter as well.”_

_“Fine,” I huffed, annoyed. Reading it aloud, “ **Hello Abraxas**.”_

_“You did say this was a girl didn’t you?” Mother questioned and I nodded, “Why does she call you Abraxas then? Do you know each other well?”_

_“Well enough,” I huffed in exasperation, “If you continue to interrupt me I won’t read it aloud.”_

_“Fine sorry,” Mother replied, waving her hand dismissively in my direction, “Carry on.”_

_“ **I realize you might be busy but it’s a bit lonely here with everyone gone and I find that writing to you makes me feel better. Don’t laugh or I’ll hex you and we both know that I can** -”_

_“She can hex you?”_

_“MOTHER!”_

_“Right sorry.”_

_“ **I was trying to decide what to get you for Christmas and I won’t lie, I really wanted to get you a portrait of me riding a broom** -”_

_“Why would she get you a portrait of her on a broom?” Mother asked but I simply ignored her._

_“ **But I’m so frightened of flying that I figured it wouldn’t be worth it, even to wipe your nose in. So you’ll be getting a present tomorrow by owl. Don’t worry, it isn’t anything spectacular.** _

_“ **Has your Mum allowed Christmas Dinner this year? I do hope she likes what I picked out.** ”_

_“What does she mean, ‘What she picked out’? Did she pick the present for me? Are you shopping with her?”_

_“ **I’m afraid I don’t know her too well and it does make me nervous. You will tell me what she thinks won’t you? I’ll beat the living piss out of you if you wait ‘til you come back to tell me how it went.** ”_

_“Hmm,” Father grinned, “Beat the piss out of you, will she?”_

_My parents were going to drive me right up the wall with all their interrupting._

_“ **Tom’s been keeping me company, what with everyone else gone**.”_

_“Why is Tom keeping her company? Is she friends with Tom? Oh dear.”_

_“ **Otherwise I’m mostly just sitting in the library reading…or in the common room reading…or in the Great Hall, you guessed it, reading. Aren’t you lucky you went home over Hols so you didn’t have to be stuck with me?**_

_“ **The Great Hall looks as good as new, by the way. You can barely tell it went through an explosion.** ”_

_“There was an explosion in the Great Hall. Why didn’t you mention anything about this?”_

_“ **Oh, and since you seemed so concerned before, I just want to let you know that I’m all healed up and there is absolutely nothing to worry about you great Git.** ”_

_“What happened to her?” Father surprised me by asking. Why were they so attentive today, “Was she injured by the explosion?”_

_“ **The best thing about being here when everyone’s on break is the lack of the Great Hippogriff and you and Tom’s fan club. I never realized how quiet it could be when you didn’t have a flock of girls huddled around you**.”_

_“Is there really girl’s flocking around you? Why didn’t you ever show any interest in any of those girls? How is Myone different?” Mum rambled._

_“What’s the Great Hippogriff?” Father asked with a smirk._

_“ **Are you working on your assignments? Tom and I have all of ours done but when I got my owl back from Alphard he told me he’d only finished two. Don’t forget that we have to do a meter long paper on the Cruciatus Curse for Dueling. Just keep on your studies.** ”_

_“She calls Tom Riddle and Alphard Black by their first names too. That isn’t a good sign.” Mother sighed, shaking her head from side to side._

_“How does she know the assignments for Dueling?” Father questioned curiously to himself._

_“She must be a good student if she’s already finished her assignments,” Mum mumbled._

_“ **Well I hope you’re having a good time with your family and I look forward to seeing you soon. Myone Macmillan.** ”_

_“You couldn’t stop talking through one blasted letter,” I huffed in annoyance as I thudded it onto the table in front of me. Mother looked apologetic until she summoned it to herself. I rolled my eyes at her but said nothing._

_She read the letter to herself and smiled brightly, “What do you think of her love?”_

_“I…I don’t know?” I stammered out confused. What were they even talking about?_

_“Don’t badger the boy Aleida,” Father admonished before taking the letter from her hands and glancing over it. Even perching his glasses on his nose to do so._

_“It really isn’t anything you need to concern yourselves over,” I replied as I stabbed my lamb and grumbled under my breath._

_“Nonsense,” Father replied, setting the letter down beside his wine glass and steepling his fingers just under his nose, “Tell me about her.”_

_I looked between both my parents and they stared back at me, seemingly unblinking. I wasn’t going to be getting out of this, wonderful._

_“I don’t know,” I began with a shrug. “She’s a transfer from Durmstrang,” I began and my Mother nodded approvingly, “She’s smart; I mean, she’s in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, Alchemy, and some others. She’s a pureblood but she doesn’t get along with Madam Black.”_

_“Neither do I,” Mother smiled, “The woman is a cad.”_

_“Isn’t your seventh year of Defense, Dueling?” Father asked curiously._

_“Yes,” I nodded, “Professor Vostic wasn’t fond of her being in class but she’s better than most everyone there so he doesn’t mind but he does make sexist comments on occasion.”_

_“I’ve always liked Intentus,” Father replied almost to himself, “He was a few years younger than I was in school but be a good lad and an Auror for a bit.”_

_“Um,” I mumbled not realizing why they were so interested in my schooling all of a sudden, “Yeah.”_

_“What else can you tell me about her?” Mother asked, sitting up even straighter, if it were possible, and grinning madly as though she’d just discovered a new line of Goblin jewelry._

_“Alphard, Tom, Ryland, and I talk to her quite a bit, especially since she doesn’t much get on with most of the girls. Oh,” I called out, startling both my parents as I suddenly remembered, “Both Alphard and Ryland wanted to send her a contract but of course they’ve already got theirs signed.”_

_“Oh and do you know if she has a contract yet?” Father asked with an odd twinkle that unsettled me a bit._

_“She said no, so unless she’s gotten one over holiday then I doubt it,” I answered with a haphazard shrug. “Am I done now?”_

_“Aren’t you wanting dessert?” Mother asked curiously as she eyed my barely touched course._

_“Not particularly hungry at the moment,” I lied with a huff._

_“Alright dear,” Mother smiled, “Get some rest.” I stood and moved toward the door when she called out, “And don’t forget to write that lovely Ms. Macmillan back.”_

_I rolled my eyes but made it to my room quickly and sat at my desk. Setting Myone’s letter aside I pulled my personal letter opener and removed Tom’s missive from the envelope._

**_Brax,_ **

**_It has been a long Holiday with the school nearly deserted. Not that I’m bothered by the quiet, mind. I’ve talked to Myone a few times over the last week and she seems alright but I can’t help but think that she may be avoiding me. Can you imagine? Don’t say something smart, we both know you’re thinking it; but she has no excuse for being frightened of me as I’ve been nothing but cordial since she’s gotten here._ **

**_That reminds me, have you learned anything over break. I’ve gotten a few things but I don’t have access to what I need to find the answers. I need you to get into the Ministry’s records and look up a few names for me. One is Draco Malfoy. I know what you’re thinking, and you can ask your family first but if my current theory is correct then they won’t know anything. Second I need you to look up the name Hermione Granger. Don’t ask me where I’ve heard these names. Let’s just say that Ms. Macmillan needs more practice at casting silencing charms._ **

**_Send me a missive if you learn anything. I will want to know immediately. We’ll have a regular meeting not too long after everyone gets back, I had been hoping for a more hands on lesson rather than the paper for Dueling._ **

**_Hope you’re having a decent break and I’ll see you when you get back._ **

**_Tom_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just (finally) discovered Myrtle's true last name to be Warren and have since changed it in this chapter and in chapter 13. It has gone from Edwards to Warren per canon.


	25. Draco’s Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco’s alerted to a dinner being held down at the Three Broomsticks with his mother, father, and Blaises’ family in attendance. No one mentioned the appearance of Granger, Potter, and the Weasley’s however. How will Draco react to seeing them since knowing of the woman as his Grandmother? How will his father react?

“I never knew you got a letter like that from Tom,” Myone commented with a scowl, turning to eye her husband with a curious frown.

“I never thought it prudent,” he shrugged carelessly in a distinctly Malfoy-like way, earning an intense glare from his wife.

“That’s utter tripe and you know it, Abraxas Malfoy,” she ground out furiously as she turned in her chair toward her husband, pointing at him in accusation, “Don’t you dare belittle me in my own house. You should’ve told me about that letter and you know it; about Tom knowing my real name as well as knowing of Draco. Sure not when you got it, but at least when we wed. We were supposed to be a team.”

“I honestly…”

“Oh, don’t you even start; I don’t want to hear it. You purposely neglected to tell me something impor-”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Draco shouted suddenly, standing from his seat and forcing the husband and wife to pause and turn from their argument to eye the boy before them.

Draco watched his Grandmother’s glare turn from her husband to him and he worried that he’d gone too far, that she wouldn’t tell him the rest of the story now. Apologizing was far more than he was willing to do at the moment and it always left a bitter taste in his mouth no matter the occasion but he was tempted to try if only to ensure he stayed in her good graces. Just as he was about to attempt some sort of an apology, her glare softened and she smiled at him, “I’m sorry sweetheart. We didn’t mean to air our dirty laundry in your presence.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” Draco refuted, crossing his arms and scowling as he thumped back onto the couch, albeit a bit half-heartedly knowing how easy it was to get on her bad side and relieved at how easily he’d gotten off just now.

“Of course love,” she smiled, waving at him dismissively. Draco simply rolled his eyes at her persistence.

The sudden crack of apparition to his right caused Draco to uncharacteristically jump, startled, as Thing appeared beside Draco’s seat.

“Young Master,” Thing said with his usual grimace.

“Thing,” Draco replied, dropping his arms as he tried not to sound cross with the aging house elf; it hadn’t done anything wrong except scare the shite out of him.

“Mistress asks for you. Says you has dinner tonight in Diagon Alley, yous do.”

“I do?” Draco responded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to recall if she’d mentioned that to him already or if she was just springing this on him now and making it seem as though she’d told him and he’d forgotten. He wouldn’t put it past her, she was a Slytherin after all.

“Alright,” he sighed heavily after a moment, nodding his head and rolling his eyes in annoyance. Thing popped out of the room at having delivered his message and Draco turned to his Grandparents, “It appears I have a prior engagement.”

Myone smiled at him and nodded, “It’s not a problem dear; we understand. We’ll see you in the morning, bright and early.”

“That means no fire whiskey,” Abraxas remarked casually with a smirk. Myone huffing in response,

“Of course he won’t be…” she trailed off at the sheepish look on her grandson’s face that indicated the very real possibility of fire whiskey being involved. “No fire whiskey Draco.”

* * *

Draco never thought he’d say this, but he missed Granger and her babbling. He cringed at that thought. Sweet Salazar he was losing it.

“You alright mate?” Blaise asked curiously from beside him, poking at his plate but keeping his eyes on his best friend curiously, “Your acting odd.”

“I’m fine. Just had a disturbing thought.”

“I’ve had those,” Blaise responded flatly, Draco raising an eyebrow at the odd blanket statement.

“Alright,” he replied, letting it drawl out lazily.  

“Draco dear,” Blaise’s mother, the dark haired Zabini woman, asked curiously, “How are things? Any girls on the horizon?”

“None at the moment Ms. Zabini,” Draco responded lazily, poking his Mutton pie absently. Zabini had not been her maiden name but she’d been going by it since she’d been mysteriously widowed for the first time.   Despite her many other marriages since, she always went back to it despite her maiden name being Rizzo and her parents sitting right beside her at the moment. Blaise once suggested that she went by it to make him more comfortable as it was his last name but Draco wasn’t sure if that was true or just something Blaise said to make himself feel better.

“So what have you been doing over break Draco?” Blaise’s Grandfather, Giovanni Rizzo, an Italian born wizard asked curiously from beside Lucius, “Blaise and Caterina have been staying with us in Italy for most of holiday.”

“I’m working on a homework assignment,” Draco responded, eying his father carefully as he said the next words, “I’m interviewing my Grandparents on the Malfoy side for a project in History of Magic. They’re telling me all about themselves.”

Draco watched as his father’s face paled and he choked on his pork chop and glazed carrots. He hadn’t look so pale since Draco and his mother had visited him in Azkaban.

“Myone and Abraxas,” Blaise’s Grandmother smiled; her grey hair in a neat tight bun, a few purposeful tendrils cascading down and framing her face. “Perhaps they’ve mentioned me. I’m Ottilie Rizzo.”

“Ottilie Rizzo?” Draco repeated with his brows narrowed in confusion as he tried to place the name, “Ottilie Rizzo…Ottilie…Ottilie…Ottilie Macnair?”

“That’s right,” she responded, her eyes alight with wonder, “She’s spoken of me?”

“She says you were good friends,” Draco responded with a nod, smiling slightly at the way the normally cross woman’s face lit up at being mentioned by a dead woman’s portrait to her grandson, “Helped her in Traditional Studies despite her being dreadful at it.”

“Probably the only class she wasn’t brilliant in,” Mrs. Rizzo replied with a faraway wistful look.

“Traditional Studies?” Blaise questioned confused, “What’s that?”

“Like Muggle Studies but for pureblooded girls,” Draco told his friend in a rather bored tone, staring down as he twirled his fork in his pie.

“What’d they get rid of it for?” an incredulous Blaise asked in disbelief, “Sounds great.”

“From what Grang…Gran told me though it wouldn’t have worked now. It was a lot of antiquated rules that just wouldn’t have made much sense anymore. Like when to shake hands, what time of day you could walk outside, having chaperones on dates, all sorts of rubbish.”

“What?” Blaise responded disgusted, his nose crinkling.

“Yeah,” Draco shrugged, “Kinda glad they tossed it.”

“I’m surprised Myone could tell you anything about that class. She never would listen to anything Madam Black said and absolutely refused to have a chaperone for the entire duration of her courtship with Abraxas. It was completely unheard of at the time.”

“The insulted hippogriff?” Draco inquired with a grin.

“That’s right!” Ottilie said, slapping her hand on the table and laughing loudly. “The insulted hippogriff; that’s what she called Madam Black; just never to her face.”

Draco glanced over to his father who looked immensely uncomfortable before moving to eye his mother who was smiling serenely to herself.

“Honestly Ronald, that’s disgusting,” they heard a voice huff in annoyance and they all turned toward the source, recognizing it.

“Come on Hermione, it was hilarious,” Ron replied as he trailed after her from the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, George flanking him a few seconds later,

“Yeah come on Granger. It was good; well for Ron anyway.”

“Hey,” Ron sputtered back indignantly.

“I just think it was uncalled for,” she huffed, hands on her hips, moving to a table where Draco noticed the she-Weasel and Potter were already seated and talking in hushed tones.

“Myone?” Ottilie asked aloud curiously, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands in disbelief as Lucius looked down at his plate intently. Narcissa took a sip of wine and continued on unperturbed as though her entire table of guests weren’t staring at the saviors of the Wizarding World with varying looks.

“That can’t be her, love,” Giovanni consoled his confused and distraught wife, “She’s dead. You know that.”

“I know,” Ottilie replied, “But then explain to me why she looks exactly the same.”

“I don’t want to hear about what you get up to with my best friend Ginny,” Ron complained loudly to his sister suddenly, drawing their attention back to where the group had settled in at their own table.

“No one said you had to listen,” she protested, equally loud, “I was talking to Mione anyway.”

“I don’t particularly care to hear either,” Hermione admitted rather sheepishly, having seated herself with Ginny on her right and Ron to her left, George beside him. She’d gone back to focusing on her appetizer and was actively attempting to ignore the loud ginger girl talking about the snogging she got up to.

“Well if you an’ Ron were still together you could disgust me back,” Ginny shrugged with a smirk.

“I’ll tell you what - next boyfriend I get, I’ll tell you all about it. The more detailed the better,” Hermione countered with a smirk that Draco recognized from her portrait; the same one his father had when he outsmarted someone at the Ministry.

“So long as it’s not a Slytherin,” Harry countered, Ron staring at his drink rather than comment on Hermione’s dating life. Hermione rolled her eyes and took a long sip of Butterbeer, finishing it.

“I’m going to get another drink,” Hermione stated, picking up the empty bottle and wiggling it a bit as if to prove due cause before heading up to the counter, passing Draco’s table on the way. She didn’t seem to notice them but they all stared unblinkingly at her for varying reasons.

“It’s her,” Mrs. Rizzo growled furiously, “I know it’s her.”

“Ottile,” her husband warned as he grabbed hold of her robes to keep her seated and ensuring that she wouldn’t accost the young girl, “Don’t you dare.”

Draco looked at his father curiously, was he aware that Granger would become his mother? If the way he was avidly avoiding eye contact with the table and the way he had hold of his fork as though he were about to snap it in two said anything, then he definitely did indeed.

Draco then turned to look at his mother who looked back at him and smiled knowingly.

“How long have you known?” Draco asked his parents curiously, both of whom just looked up at him rather blankly.

“What?” Blaise asked confused, “What’cha talkin’ about mate?”

Draco now stared directly at his father and narrowed his eyes, saying it slower, ensuring that Lucius heard every word, “How long have you known?”

After a few immensely long seconds Lucius raised his head to eye his son. He took a deep breath and set down the fork he had been holding before treading his fingers together and snarling out, “I knew it was her when they were brought to the manor. If not for that filthy werewolf telling me they ‘smelled the same’ then it was because of the scar she left with on her arm. I grew up with the woman. You don’t think I’d seen it at some point?”

Draco froze, his father didn’t know Hermione was his mother until she was tortured in their house. No wonder he was so uncomfortable about the situation and was avoiding her portrait.

Hermione was coming back with a new Butterbeer, weaving in and out of the tables when she bumped into the seated Narcissa and stumbled, just barely keeping from spilling the drink down both their fronts. Narcissa didn’t seem to bat an eye at the jostling but smiled, inclining her head to the small curly haired witch in front of her.

“I’m so sor…Mrs. Malfoy?” Hermione then turned to eye the others at the table and paled slightly, moving to tuck her scarred arm behind her back as she made eye contact with Lucius.

“Granger,” Draco responded in a tone that he was proud of. It sounded as though nothing had changed from when they left school for holiday and he was immensely grateful that he was able to maintain his cover.

“Malfoy,” she replied back with equal disdain in her voice as her nose wrinkled and she sneered much like his father did when he found something unpleasant. These newly discovered similarities were making Draco slightly uncomfortable at the very least.

“I see you’re out with your savior and the Weasel King,” he scoffed, glancing down at his plate before looking back up to her as she rolled her eyes and attempted to cross her arms without spilling the Butterbeer.

“Yes we are,” she responded haughtily, “Not that it’s any of your business ferret-face.”

“Myone?” Mrs. Rizzo asked with an almost desperate tone to it. Draco looked up at the interruption in their banter and immediately felt sorry for the older woman who was staring at Granger as though she’d seen a ghost. Hermione looked toward the source of the voice startled but furrowed her brow in confusion at the grey haired woman’s odd comment.

“I’m sorry?” Hermione responded.

“You’re Myone, aren’t you…Myone Macmillan?”

“Sorry, can’t say that I am. I’m Hermione Granger.”

“Hermione Granger, the girl who helped to defeat the Dark Lord?” Hermione glanced around the table at said Dark Lord’s followers before nodding tentatively, her voice cracking a bit, “Yes.”

“But isn’t she…” she began, trailing off as she looked from Lucius to Narcissa and back. After a moment’s hesitance, Lucius slowly nodded.

“So she helped defeat him but they were…” she again trailed off, only confusing Hermione more. Lucius slowly nodded again and eyed the table uncomfortably.

“Mione what are you doing?” a voice Draco recognized as Weaselette’s shouted out from across the room and Hermione turned to look at Ginny.

“Coming,” Hermione shouted back in response before nodding slightly to the older woman she was unable to place, sneering at Draco, and quickly moving along to her own table.

“I really feel like I’m missing something,” Blaise suddenly sputtered out indignantly.

“Since when is that anything new,” Draco replied lazily.

“Draco,” his mother chastised. Draco looked up but didn’t apologize.

“I still don’t understand,” Ottilie replied, massaging her forehead from the impending headache that was sure to arise.

“I didn’t either,” Draco offered, the woman looking across the table to the boy, “But Hermione Granger and Myone Macmillan are indeed the same person.”

“That’s impossible,” Ottilie replied, shaking her head adamantly.

“Someone like to fill me in?” Blaise asked curiously, frowning angrily at his lamb.

Draco dropped his voice down and turned to his best friend, “Hermione Granger accidently goes back in time after we go back to school and becomes my Gran.”

“Granger’s your Gr-” Blaise managed to shout before Draco forced his hand over his mouth furiously.

“Shut up you ignorant prat,” Draco growled angrily, “She doesn’t know that yet.” Draco looked up hopeful that they hadn’t heard but the hope was quickly dashed as he noticed the entire table of Weasels, Granger, and Potter staring over at them with an intense look that was making the young Malfoy heir decidedly uncomfortable.

“I’m still confused,” Blaise replied in a much quieter whisper once Draco removed his hand.

“She goes back in time but she can’t know that she’ll marry my Granddad or become my Grandmother until she does. You can’t alter time Zabini.”

“Wouldn’t you want to though?” Blaise asked, scratching his head a bit. “I mean, you have the opportunity to change things. I mean, doesn’t this make you a half-blood.”

“I’d rather be a half-blood than not exist at all,” Draco growled out annoyed at Blaise’s lack of common sense.   “If Granger never marries Abraxas Malfoy then my father would never exist and in extension, me. I’d like to stay alive, if it’s no skin off your hide.”

“Alright,” Blaise defended, holding up his hands, “No need to get testy.”

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, “I’m going outside if you lot don’t mind.” He noticed his mother give him a gentle nod and he stood quickly, making his way to the door and leaning against the outside wall of the Leaky.

It was nearly 8pm and the streets were all but deserted. An occasional man or woman would meander by and if possible, maneuver their way away from him. He was still a Malfoy and they still hadn’t completely staved off scrutiny from the war. He rolled his eyes as a woman in her mid-twenties pulled a toddler away from his direction as though lack of distance would encourage the spreading of disease.

Once he was no longer able to see the woman from the streetlight he let the back of his head lean against the brick, the door beside him opening and the chatter of the pub reaching his ears. A man emerged and stood, his back to Draco as he jostled on his robes before lighting a fag and taking a long drawl.

“Like one?” the man offered, holding the pack out to Draco who had never had one before and decided, why the hell not. As soon as the lit stick’s smoke entered his lungs and Draco began to cough incessantly, the man’s wife came from the pub and the man laughed at Draco’s expense as he moved away from the pub, his arm around his short wife’s shoulder.

Draco glanced down for a moment at the horrendous thing before letting it sit between his fingers down by his side, uninterested in taking another hit.

“I noticed you left your family,” a voice stated and he turned to see Granger staring at him, her arms crossed.

“So what if I did,” Draco shrugged, uninterested in talking to her and quite surprised that she was able to sneak up on him.

“You know, I know you don’t like Harry, Ron, and I; but I at least thought you tolerated us. We do share the Head Dorms you know.”

“Yeah,” Draco shrugged again, “I know.”

“And did you have to talk like that to me in front of strangers? It was incredibly demeaning. I don’t know who that grey-haired woman thought I was, but I didn’t appreciate what you said about me in front of her, that’s for sure.”

“Not everything is about you, you know, Granger.”

“I know that,” she huffed indignantly, glaring hard at him. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she stared at him unblinkingly, “Are you on fire?”

He scoffed at her and lifted the fag that hung between his two fingers, watching as her eyes grew impossibly larger. Faster than he’d even thought possible, Granger ripped the fag from his hand and dropped it to the ground; stomping it out with her overly sensible shoes. “That is absolutely disgusting. How could you even think to smoke? Do you have any more on you?”   Draco shook his head no. “Good. Don’t you dare start smoking! It’s a filthy habit. Do you understand me?” Her finger was now in his face and he smirked, no longer seeing Granger but his newly acquainted Gran.

“Yes mother, I hear you.”

She rolled her eyes at his address but nodded, pleased that he listened to some degree.

“Filthy,” she muttered, making her way back into the Leaky.

Now it was Draco’s turn to roll his eyes as he followed the bushy-haired witch back into the pub and made his way bathroom to wipe the smell of the cigarette off before his mother noticed and he got a second scolding that evening, hoping against hope that this dinner didn’t go on much longer.

* * *

“What were you coming inside with Malfoy for,” Ron asked curiously once Hermione settled back in beside him at the table.

“He was outside,” she shrugged, taking a sip of the Butterbeer she'd recently acquired and leaning back in her chair.

“Did he try anything?” Ron inquired, his eyes darting around the room wildly before settling on her appropriately buttoned cardigan.

“No Ron, he didn’t ravish me in the Alleyway,” she sighed, rolling her eyes, “He was just getting some air…like I was.”

“I still don’t like it,” Ron replied, his nose crinkling in distaste, “The two of you alone together.”

“We do share the head dorms. We’re alone up there all the time.” Ron’s over protectiveness only extended to direct visuals, it seemed.

“Well yeah, but its Hogwarts,” he responded with a one sided shrug.

“Leave Mione alone Ron,” Ginny defended, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner, “We don’t get much time to go out and it won’t be long before we’ll be out of school and off doing our own things.”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded in agreement, a wide smile spread across his face. “That reminds me, I have news.” The table all sat at attention then, eager to hear what Harry heard, “I’ve talked to Kingsley and I’m being offered a position in the Auror Training Program two days after graduation.”

“Ohh wow, two whole days Holiday in between,” George remarked sarcastically with a smirk.

“Kingsley says that it’s to ‘Get my affairs in order’,” Harry replied with a light laugh.

“Congratulations Harry,” went around the table with Harry nodding it off in a bit of embarrassment.

“I was offered a position too,” Ron admitted after a moment of calm had settled over the group.

Upon hearing that piece of news everyone got eerily quiet.

“Well no one congratulate me or nothin’,” Ron huffed, crossing his arms petulantly.

“Congratulations Ron,” Harry said then, smiling; thrilled that he’d be with at least one of his best friends for the next step in his life.

“Yeah, congratulations,” everyone agreed.

“I’ve asked if I can postpone it though,” Ron added after a moment and they all looked at him with varying displays of disbelief.

“You asked for a postponement?” Ginny questioned, astonished.

“Well, can’t really leave George off to run the shop alone just yet,” Ron shrugged. “So I asked if I could stay back for a year to assist in rebuilding and they agreed. Said that I’d have a reserved spot in the Auror Training Program for whenever I’m ready.”

“Sounds like you got a better deal that I did,” Harry jested.

“You don’t have to help me little brother,” George replied, feeling responsible to keeping Ron from his dreams.

“Nah,” Ron shrugged, “I don’t mind helping. Besides you need all the help you can get.”

At that, George belted his brother in the arm, “Git.”

Harry grinned at how calm everything seemed to be at the moment and smiled, he like the normalcy that had been so rare in life.

“I’ve gotta run to the loo,” Harry mentioned casually with a shrug before standing and heading off towards their direction, carefully avoiding the table of Malfoy and company. Just as Harry made his way into the small room, Draco was letting his hand run under the faucet, the water magically flowing over his hands.

“Oh,” Harry startled awkwardly, running his hand over the back of his neck and further ruffling his already haphazard hair, “Hello Malfoy.”

“Potter,” Draco replied, nodding into the mirror as acknowledgement.

Harry couldn’t help but glance at the stall and wonder if it would seem rude to just dart inside and take care of business in hopes that Malfoy would be gone by the time he came out.

“So how’s your Winter Hols?” Harry began, stuttering a bit as he bumbled to determine what to say. Harry may have ensured that the Malfoy family didn’t spend time in Azkaban but that didn’t mean that they were friends. They were still rivals on the Quidditch Pitch and exchanged snide comments in the halls, but something about this seemed different to Harry and he wasn’t sure why.

“Fine, and yours,” Draco replied after a moment.

“Good, good,” Harry answered with a nod, his hands now in his pockets.

“Working on your project for Binns?” Draco couldn’t help but ask curiously, knowing that he needed to contribute something to this pathetic excuse of a conversation.

“I am actually,” Harry nodded, thankful for an actual topic to discuss, “I’m doing Alphard Black. The actual relation is a bit diluted but I happened to find an old portrait of his when I was cleaning the attic of Gri….the Black House last week so I figured why not.” Harry couldn’t believe he’d said all that to Malfoy. Was he really making conversation with Draco Malfoy? And had he almost said Grimmauld Place? It may not be protected anymore but it still shouldn’t be opening shared with just anyone, he did live there after all. “Who are you doing?”

“I’m doing Abraxas and Myone Malfoy. My Father’s Mum and Dad,” Draco replied with a one sided grin. As if there was some kind of joke that only he was aware of.

“Are you allowed to do two people?” Harry asked curiously.

“I don’t know, don’t rightly care in any case,” Draco responded with a shrug, “They’re telling me the same story anyway just from different points of view.”

“Are they…nice?” Harry asked cautiously, likening Malfoys to all be rather cruel.

“They seem rather nice. They donated most of the funds to rebuilding Hogwarts,” he replied, crossing his arms and raising a brow smugly. Beat that.

“Wow. I didn’t know that,” Harry replied in surprise.

“We don’t have to show off everything we do, you see,” Draco shrugged in response, “I also found out a lot various people of the age. My Grandmother likes to talk.”

Harry laughed lightly at that.

“She’s mentioned your grandfather, Charlus,” Draco continued, “We haven’t gotten too far into it yet but she’s mentioned your grandmother Dorea Black so I may find out how they get together. I’m finding out quite a bit about Tom Riddle both from her side as well as my Grandfathers. They were friends you see.”

“That would have been useful during the war,” Harry replied, more to himself than Draco. Draco chose to say nothing in response.

“Have _you_ found out anything interesting?” Draco asked curiously, wondering what Alphard knew of or if he’d said anything that differed from his grandparents stories.

“Well, apparently Alphard Black was blasted off the family tapestry for being…” Harry began before trailing off.

“For being…?” Draco repeated hoping Harry would continue. This _was_ their most civil conversation to date.

“Ron keeps saying poof but I don’t think that’s politically correct,” Harry finished sheepishly.

“Wait,” Draco responded, his eyes furrowed, “Alphard Black was a poof?”

“That’s what he told me?”

“What about his contract?”

“His contract for what?” Harry responded confused.

“For marriage?”

“I don’t know anything about that,” Harry shrugged.

“Grang…Gran said that Alphard was contracted to Gertrude Flint. She was nothing to look at but that he didn’t have a choice.”

“We haven’t talked much,” Harry responded with wide eyes, wondering what all Draco was learning from those portraits, “I can ask.”

“You should,” Draco nodded, “Now I’m curious.”

“Well,” Harry said, suddenly awkward, “This was a surprisingly pleasant conversation but I actually came in here to…” Draco glanced in the direction Harry had to see the stall behind him and sneered. He’d forgotten they were standing in the boy’s loo. The last time they were left alone in a boy’s loo their conversation hadn’t gone very well, though to be fair there hadn’t been much talking.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Draco replied, nodding to the boy.

“It was…nice talking to you,” Harry called before Draco had fully walked through the door.

“Same,” Draco called, letting the door close behind him without turning around.


	26. The Missive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is back from Holiday but when a mysterious Owl delivers Myone a letter, Abraxas realizes that he’s told his mother a bit more than he should have.

“Good morning Grandmother, Grandfather,” Draco greeted, nodding his head in the direction of the painting, the two already settled in for a long day of storytelling.

“Draco,” his Grandfather nodded in return.

“Hello sweetheart,” Gran replied, smiling down at him from her spot. “So how was your dinner last night?”

“It was alright I guess,” Draco replied with a shrug, “Mother, Father, and Blaise’s family were in attendance. Did you know Blaise’s Gran was Ottilie Macnair?”

“Is she?” she asked, delighted. “That’s wonderful. It’s great to see that our families were able to stay close over generations.”

Draco simply nodded once in agreement but said nothing.

“So where did we leave off yesterday?” she asked curiously, causing Draco to simply raise one brow curiously.

“You mean before the yelling match?” Draco questioned.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she replied, smiling sheepishly, “We both have tempers. I guess you can see where you and your father get yours from.”

Draco shook his head and sighed, taking a small bite of a pumpkin pasty off the tray beside his couch before stating, “We were on Yule Hols.”

“We’d just finished the Holiday if I remember right,” Abraxas nodded.

“Yeah, and you got that letter,” Gran glared, turning to stare down her husband.

“We aren’t starting that again are we?” Draco scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Fine, fine,” Myone huffed, still staring at her husband, “Would you like to start off?”

“Alright,” he nodded, “We’d just gotten back from Holiday and finished supper for the evening; Tom had planned on a meeting already.”

_“Well let’s get moving then. We have to have this over before Slughorn casts roll call wards…_

“What in Salazar’s name are roll call wards?” Draco asked, leaning forward on the bench curiously.

“Nothing nearly as exciting as you seem to be thinking,” Gran laughed.

“Roll Call Wards are wards cast over the house dormitories by the Head of House to ensure that students can’t enter or exit their Houses after a curfew at night,” Abraxas answered.

“They stopped that when your father was in school,” Granger added, “During the first war. They didn’t want students trapped in their dorms in case Voldemort infiltrated Hogwarts and the Heads of House were otherwise engaged. The Board of Governors, us included, thought that it would make the children sitting ducks; but prior to the war, the wards were there to discourage tomfoolery.”

“Imagine if they’d been enacted when we’d been in school Granger,” Draco smirked, “You, Potter, and the Weasel wouldn’t have been able to get into half as many things as you did.”

“The same could be said for you,” Granger replied, shutting him up.

“Anyway…” Abraxas coughed into his hand.

_“Well let’s get moving then. We have to have this over before Slughorn casts roll call wards,” Yaxley huffed, waving everyone into the meeting room before shutting and warding the doors behind us. Tom had somehow managed to already be seated in his makeshift thrown with his fingers steepled, his elbows braced on the armrests._

_“Welcome,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper but unmistakably clear, “I’ve been expecting you.”_

_I watched the person in front of me shiver and couldn’t help but sneer, if they couldn’t even handle this then they weren’t up for the rest of the evening._

_“Tonight,” Tom stated, standing from his throne-like chair, “We will have the pleasure of being prepared for what the pathetic ministry would rather us be inept at, unforgiveables. You had your first tastes in class and a bit more in our last meeting but here today we will be working with my favorite of the three, the cruciatus curse._

_Among the group I saw a few eyes light up in wonder, a few dim in apparent boredom, and even a few widen in what I could only assume was fear._

_“First however we have some business from over the holiday to discuss,” Tom stated, raising one brow while letting his hand create a grand sweeping gesture over the room, “Who would like to go first?”_

_“Well I accompanied my brother Pollux to the ministry,” Alphard offered with a nod to Tom, “We sat down with the Minister and he told us of the concerns due to Grindelwald’s…advancements. He says that they should reach this area by early spring and that despite the rumors of merciless killings, they can’t determine Grindelwalds’ Army’s motives which is only more disconcerting in the Minister’s opinion.”_

_“Wonderful,” Tom smiled, “I can’t wait to meet him. Next?”_

_“I investigated that dodgy pub you tasked to me,” Flint mentioned next, “The one in Hogsmeade. The owner was not forthright but after a bit of work, I was able to determine that the owner was some bloke named Aberforth Dumbledore and that he is, in fact, Professor Dumbledore’s brother.”_

_“Interesting,” Tom replied, stroking his chin in thought, “Very interesting.”_

_“On another note,” Desmond Avery mentioned from his area of the table. Avery was popular and unpopular with Tom simultaneously. He was smart and was sometimes able to focus a bit better than Tom but he was still under Tom and quite willing to take orders which made him quite likeable to the man. “It would seem that over the break I was contracted with one Amethyst Burke whose Uncle, as you may or may not know, is co-owner of the shop Borgin and Burkes. Her Uncle, whom I met with over Holiday seems amiable and wishes for a fruitful marriage. So much so that he will offer deals to me and those I wish, no questions asked. I believe this may be of use to us in the future.”_

_“Wonderful Avery,” Tom laughed, while the rest of us smiled impressed, “Wonderful.” He now turned to address the rest of us, “Anyone else?” There was not a sound. “No? Then it is time to pair up. I wish to be…entertained.”_

_I stood from my chair and stared at the masonry on the other side of the room bored for only a moment before Lestrange was directly in front of me, his wand raised in a threatening manner, a sneer on his face._

_“Malfoy,” he smiled insincerely, his eyes narrowing._

_I nodded to him flatly, “Lestrange.” This whole thing was a bit odd. It was like a duel where you could only use one spell and once that spell had been cast, your opponent was so debilitated that you won by default but would then continue to cast that same debilitating spell. It seemed a bit overkill in my opinion but the gleam in Lestrange’s eye made me want to put some kind of effort into it. He wasn’t going to win at the very least, of that I was sure._

_The second my wand arm twitched, the spell was on his lips, but I was faster. “Crucio!”_

_He hit the ground faster than I thought possible and I sneered down at him as he began to claw at his chest in an effort to escape himself. The pain and torment that his nerve endings were sending to is brain were causing him to inflict pain upon himself as he attempted to stop it. I always questioned why Lestrange left his nails long as it was quite improper but now it seemed rather amusing to me as he was beginning to dig bloody welts into his chest, the blood seeping into his white dress shirt and staining his Slytherin tie to look like some macabre late Yule celebration._

_Finally satisfied, I let up; watching Lestrange’s limp limbs spread wide, heaving on the cobblestones of the castle floor._

_“Get up Lestrange,” Tom huffed insultingly. Tom’s attention caused me to look up and see many others were slowly moving up off the floor as well in various states of self-destruction and pain._

_“Now,” Tom stated softly once everyone was up, “It would seem that some do not believe me when I say that this is an important lesson that needs to be taken seriously. They seem to believe that they can simply wave their wand haphazardly and be given credit for trying. No, here you are only given acknowledgement for success._

_“Mr. Roverts, if you would be so kind.” Tom spread his arm wide in invitation and Nikolai took hesitant steps toward Riddle, fearful of the possible outcomes._

_“Mr. Roverts didn’t deem it necessary to put his full effort into his cruciatus curse against Mr. Rookwood. Mr. Roverts didn’t seem to think that I would notice.”_

_“No,” Nikolai began sputtering, “That’s not it, I swear.”_

_“Do you wish to redeem yourself Roverts?”_

_“Yes, of course.”_

_“You will take my cruciatus Roverts, and you will fight to overpower it. Do you understand?”_

_Roverts was paler than I’d ever seen him and I was almost positive that he was shaking._

_“Do you understand?" Tom questioned again louder this time, anger lacing his usually controlled tones, "I will not ask again!”_

_“Yes! Yes,” Nikolai blurted out; I suspected that he was trying to keep himself from throwing up._

_There was no other warning besides, “Good. Crucio.”_

_Roverts was on the ground in a second. He was not strong like the rest of us. He hadn’t been raised in a family that expected the very best at every turn. He was often ridiculed for having not been placed in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. And as I watched him futily attempt to gouge out his own eyes, I knew he’d never recover. Tom’s cruciatus was stronger than the rest of ours, that on top of Roverts being weaker than the rest of us, he wouldn’t be able to take it._

_When Tom finally let up, Roverts was unmoving and Lestrange took the initiative to go up to the boy and give him a kick._

_Roverts groaned at the action but didn’t move. Then we heard something odd come from the silent room. It was barely loud enough to be heard and it was spoken more in a croaked tone but it was clear enough, “Babbity Rabbity, Hop Hop Hop.”_

_My eyebrows narrowed and everything in the room got, if possible, even more eerily quiet._

_“Hairy Larry Quite Contrary. Bought a girl and named her Mary.”_

_“I think that’s Roverts,” Alphard finally stated with a confused tone that only caused me to glare at him._

_“Of course it Roverts,” I growled furiously, “It means he’s been driven mad. There’s no way back from that.”_

_“Three brothers born in hallowed blood. Death will find them, every one.”_

_“Well we can’t leave him here,” Yaxley grumbled, running his hand through his hair in exasperation._

_“We can’t be seen with him in the corridors either,” Dolohov argued back, eyes wide._

_“We need to get him in his bed so tomorrow it’ll look like he’s woken up this way,” Alphard offered._

_“Tom,” I shouted, turning to the culprit who to anyone else would look uncaring but whom I could tell was in turmoil. Not from what he’d done but from the possibility of getting caught._

_“Alphard’s right,” Tom agreed, “We need to get him to the dormitory and into bed. Slughorn can deal with this tomorrow and we all deny any accusation thrown our way, though I’m sure none will. Agreed?”_

_“Agreed,” everyone nodded._

_Lestrange, Macnair, Rookwood, and Avery went on ahead to the Slytherin Common room to clear it out and ensure that there would be no one there when the rest arrived. Orion Black, Dolohov, Mulciber, Flint, Crabbe, and Goyle were stationed in the hallways to ensure that all paths were clear on their way and Tom, Alphard, Yaxley, and I positioned Roverts between us and carried him by hand, to make it less conspicuous, toward the dorms._

_Yaxley had his hand over Roverts mouth to ensure that the mad bloke didn’t sputter more ridiculous nonsense as we didn’t want to apply any more spells to him not knowing the consequences of both Roverts reaction as well as if anyone could trace it. We were only about one hall away from the dorms when Yaxley groaned and ripped his hand away in the silent corridor._

_“What are you doing?” I growled furiously, I eyes narrowed in anger._

_“He bit me,” Yaxley nearly whined, shaking his hand back and forth in the air, his face crinkled in disgust, “Then he licked it.”_

_“Let’s just go,” Alphard sighed, loosening his tie and lifting it over his head before repositioning it as a gag over the boys sputtering mouth,_

_“I have my father’s cooking pot, and I shall make you well.”_

_We surprisingly made it the rest of the way without getting caught and set him in his bed, a room that he shared with the rest of us 7 th years. As we wrapped the blanket around him he smiled and hugged Alphard’s arm, muttering loudly,_

_“Nighty night. Walpurgis. Eat yummy deathy smelly stuffs." We could see that he was drifting off and we assumed that was the reason that his nonsensical rambling were making even less sense than before. At least before they had some semblance to the Tales of Beedle the Bard. "Eat yummy death," he muttered out, "Eat death.” His voice got softer and softer as he dozed off before he finally began snoring to himself._

* * *

_It really was different having everyone back from holiday. Breakfast was full and it was rather nice to see people that I knew. I was getting very close to when I travelled back to this time and it was looking less and less likely that I was going to get home. I looked down the length of the table to where the Weasley…Prewett…Shell twins were giggling to themselves as one distracted Macen Wood and the other placed something in his eggs._

_I rolled my eyes and smiled, looking further down the table to spot Alastor Moody who noticed me looking at him and smiled brightly before waving. I smiled and gave a small wave back._

_“’Lo there,” Fen smiled, grabbing the spot directly across from me as Leach grabbed the one beside me and Potter beside Fen._

_“Hello Fen,” I smiled, “Did you have a nice holiday.”_

_“Nice as hanging out with family can be. Me muggle aunt said something rude to me Mom. Well, dear old Auntie’s going home with one extra pad for her bum since it’s the most used area of her body anyhow.”_

_“Fen,” I gasped, scandalized, trying not to laugh, “That’s not very nice.”_

_“So what? Neither is she.”_

_“And how about you Charlus?” I asked turning to the boy beside him._

_“Alright I guess. Harfang and Rickter Longbottom and all their lot came over and we had Yule with them.”_

_“Are you friends?” I asked curiously._

_“Cousins,” Charlus replied, “My Mum’s a Longbottom.”_

_“I didn’t know that?” I said in surprise. All this time Harry and Neville had been related and they didn’t even know it…well they were related on the Black side but they were also related on the Potter side too. Purebloods really were related to everybody. I couldn’t help but wonder if Draco was related to Harry somehow or even better, if Draco was related to the Weasleys?_

_“Aren’t you going to ask about my holiday?” Nobs asked insulted, huffing indignantly._

_“Oh my apologies, great Minister. How was your holiday?”_

_“Ehh,” he replied with a shrug and a nose crinkle before going back to his porridge, causing me to roll my eyes. I spotted the owls swooping in through the open window heading off to their destinations. It was always nice seeing the_ _post_ _owls come in, there hadn't been much_ _post_ _over holiday so seeing so many on the first day back was quite refreshing. Noticing an owl land beside me at the table, I turned to eye it curiously. It wasn't one from Headmaster Dippet, and other than the Daily Prophet (who wouldn't have bothered to land), I couldn't think of anyone who would send me a missive._

_Unlike the normal morning owls that dropped their goods to land as they would, this owl seemed to have direct instructions to be cautious with its goods. The scroll itself was wound tightly in an elegant green ribbon and I fought the urge to look toward the Slytherin table in curiosity, though I denied that it was in fear of making eye contact with the possible sender._

_The owl was majestic looking and thrust its talon in my direction as though demanding my attention. I eyed it warily and didn't move to take the letter causing the bird to thrust its talon in my direction again in what could only describe_ _d_ _as incredible impatience._

_I carefully removed the smaller ribbon attaching the scroll to the stiff looking owl and watched as it nodded its head to me and before I could offer it anything to eat, spread its wings and took off toward the window again._

_I turned the paper over in my hand curiously, unsure of what it was and not particularly trusting of anything that came through the_ _post_ _after 4 th year, especially something suspectfully Slytherin when they all clearly disliked me. I eyed the ribbon again and found it to be held together with a seal of some kind, almost like a coat of arms done in green wax though I didn’t recognize the seal. It was probably pureblood. At the very least it wasn’t the house of Black, I knew that seal from Grimmauld Place. _

_Knowing it was now of never_ _,_ _I slid the ribbon down the scroll until it fell to the table in a perfect circle_ _,_ _the paper now unfolding_ _before_ _me elegantly. For some reason I suspected this to be the elegant version of a Howler but when no angry Mrs. Weasley voice emerged I figured I’d better pick it up and_ _take_ _a_ _look at it._

**_Miss. Myone Macmillan,_ **

**_Our world is changing faster than many are ready for and it is the job of a select number to influence the way in which it will move. This select number must be wise beyond their years and kind but stern, to ensure that our world is taken in the right direction. While some stations can be earned through ones own hard work and dedication, others are earned through generations of the same to ensure that ones voice continues to be spoken loud enough to be heard._ **

**_At the same time, this same person must manage the home, ensure that it is well kept and properly cleaned; herself, be well groomed and in the latest fashion; support her husband, they must always present a united front, both at home and in public for without a single united front they have nothing; and manage a family, for what good is it all if is not able to be sustained for more generations to come._ **

**_Now this may seem daunting, and at times it can be. This is a full time job, not unlike the one the husband performs outside the home; and while this one may be underappreciated by some, if done correctly, it will be fulfilling and wondrous._ **

**_We offer you this._ **

**_We wish to welcome you into the Malfoy family with the marriage of you to our son Abraxas. We believe that this union will produce many fruitful years and will help to increase our numbers with the bearing of a new heir to our illustrious family._ **

**_We await your eager acceptance and so we may grace you with our presence and sign the contracts._ **

**_Sincerely,_ **

**_Hyperion and Aleida Malfoy_ **

_I sat at the table in the Great Hall, gaping like a fish when I received a sudden poke to my side._

_“You alright?” Leach questioned from beside me. I ignored him, instead standing loudly in my seat and falling over my bustles as I tried to get over the bench. Those that noticed began to laugh a bit at my clumsiness but I flat ignored them, a destination in mind, and I finally righted myself, not bothering to straighten my skirts as I grabbed the scroll and stormed over to the Slytherin table._

_I passed Eileen on the way but ignored her quiet, “What happened?” as I passed._

_“What is the meaning of this?” I ground out furiously, throwing the parchment down on top of his platter of sausages._

_“Looks like you got a letter.” He commented flatly, picking it up by a corner with two fingers as though it was dirty and tossing it off the table. I quite literally growled in fury. I hadn’t seen the man since we parted for Holiday when he’d been oh so concerned that I’d injured myself and now he couldn’t care less that I was talking to him, what was his problem._

_“I did get a letter,” I agreed, gesturing to it from behind his back as I picked it up from where it had landed on the ground. He nodded and muttered a congratulations before moving the fork to his mouth again until I continued, “From your parents to offer up a contract.”_

_He was suddenly coughing and sputtering and the entire Great Hall had gone eerily quiet. Once he’d finally cleared his airway he choked out, “What?”_

_“That’s right. I don’t know what you said to them over winter hols but they seem set on us getting married and me popping out little Malfoy babies." I suddenly grimaced as I imagined a baby with Lucius Malfoy’s full grown head. Creepy._

_“That can’t be right,” he huffed, turning and ripping the letter from my hand before pouring over what I could only assume to be his mother's writing. When he finally finished it, he looked up at me and blanched. “They’re serious.”_

_“I don’t care if they are or not,” I replied, crossing my arms obstinately, “I am not getting married simply because some bloody letter thinks it’s a good idea.”_

_“Neither of you have a contract yet though,” Alphard shrugged. Damn, I’d forgotten there were other people here. I suddenly looked around the Great Hall and could see various Slytherin and Ravenclaw girls crying at the possibility of Malfoy being off the market. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes, it was like some ridiculous scene out of_ _muggle_ _movie rather than real life; they couldn't really like him that much.   The Gryffindors looked as though they didn’t approve of a Lion and a Snake in contract and the Hufflepuff’s just appeared as though they wanted true love to win out one way or the other._

_“Come on. Let’s not talk about this here,” I said, grabbing his sleeve to convince him to move._

_“But what about breakfast?”_

_“I swear, you boys and food,” I sighed, rolling my eyes, “This is more important. You’ll have to wait.”_

_“Some wife you’d make. I marry you and I’d never eat again.”_

* * *

_She was walking quickly, forcing me to almost jog to keep pace and I noticed Tom, Ryland, and Alphard had all decided to abandon breakfast and join us as well. I hadn’t expected her to come behind me at breakfast like that and to be honest, she’d caught me a bit off guard. I’d been spending most of the morning on edge, concerned that any moment Aurors were going to descend on the school and cart all of us off to Azkaban for the torture of Nikolai Roverts and I had a bit of paranoia lacing the corners of my mind._

_When we’d gotten up this morning to find that Roverts was still asleep we’d thanked Salazar and dressed faster than ever before, not bothering with basic hygiene to ensure that we were long gone when he rose and began his incessant sputtering. The farther away we were when it was noticed by others the better. All I could think about during breakfast was Roverts but of course Macmillan and her big mouth had to come up behind me, dropping papers on my breakfast and shouting at me. I barely was able to sleep a wink as is, I didn’t need her to yell, or drag me to the 7 th floor for that matter. _

_It seemed as though we were now going down the left corridor of the seventh floor to stand in front of some painting of a man teaching trolls to perform ballet._

_"What are we doing up here?" Ryland scoffed, his arms crossed in frustration. Myone ignored him, muttering to herself and she walked back and forth in front of a blank wall. We all looked back and forth at one another in confusion and I shrugged at the others._

_Did my parents really send her a contract? Over all of holiday there was not one mention of contracts. Why would they not mention it to me before they sent it out? They had always said that they would discuss it with me and make sure that it was my choice and they would simply contract it to ensure that everything was set and that there would be no grey area. This is not what they had said at all._

_And to think that the girl they chose was wandering in front of a random wall on the 7 th floor talking to herself. This is what my parents wanted to me to marry? The girl was completely barmy. _

_As she walked in front of the wall a third time and I was about ready to turn around and walk back to breakfast, I noticed the wall begin to move and change, turning itself into something else entirely._

_"What the hell is that?" Alphard asked in astonishment._

_"No bloody idea?" Ryland blanched, his eyes wide as we all stared up at the wall. Myone had already pulled the newly materialized door open and turned to eye us curiously,_

_"Oh. You're all here, are you? Fine. Are you coming or not?"_

_I glanced back at the others before nodding and rushing to the door as she began to let go, catching it just in time before wishing I hadn't._

_I had just walked into a hovel._

_"Where are we?" Ryland asked curiously, crinkling his nose in distaste as Myone rolled her eyes in annoyance._

_Tom chose to say nothing, simply looked around in curiosity, the entire idea fascinating him immensely._

_"It is a bit...lackluster," Alphard agreed, turning his head toward Ryland who nodded in agreement._

_"Yeah, that's what I meant."_

_"Sure it is," she huffed annoyed, rolling her eyes, before moving to a couch that looked oddly colored and upholstered. "Well what are you waiting for, sit down."_

_"On that?" I asked curiously, pointing to the stripped thing in trepidation. It was brown, orange, and mustard yellow; three colors I would never be seen near let alone sitting on._

_"Yes, on that," she responded, her eyes narrowed in challenge and she pushed me toward the couch in question before looking toward the others and pointing to the other couch. The rest said nothing and sat on the couch with strange patterns on the arms and a blue and brown checked blanket across the seat._

_"Is this the salvage room?" Ryland questioned from his tightly compacted space on the loveseat beside his two friends, looking over his shoulder at the surroundings despite my wide eyes that he should shut it, clearly the woman was in a mood, "It’s no wonder the room was blocked off.   Right good it was."_

_"This is not salvage," she snarled angrily, "The room became what I wanted. This is where I feel safe."_

_"I can't say I feel safe. I think this couch is broken. There's a spring jamming into my arse," Ryland grumbled._

_"Quiet," Tom stated, his eyes narrowed in curiosity, "What do you mean, 'the room became what you wanted,' did you make the room this way."_

_She seemed to freeze at that, second guessing herself before she slowly nodded, "Yes. This is the come and go room or the room of requirement if you like. It becomes what you need. I needed to feel safe."_

_"Did you make this room turn into your house?" I couldn't help but ask nervously. Oh Salazar, did my parents send out a contract for a pauper._

_"No!" she glared, her hands fisted on her hips, "I didn’t, but that shouldn't matter. It belonged to one of my best friends and I'll never see him again. None the less, I feel safe here and that's all that matters. I don't care if the cups don't match or the house is uneven..."_

_"The house isn't even even," Alphard replied, eyes wide in disbelief as his head darted around, wondering if such a thing transferred to this room as well._

_"It doesn't matter, it makes me feel safe. So the room created this for me, so shut up and sit there while we talk about this. We're done talking about the burrow."_

_"It's called the burrow!" Ryland exclaimed in astonishment._

_"We're done!"_

_"How did you find this room," Tom asked, his eyes narrowing skeptically, "You've only been here a few months. I've practically lived here for the last seven years and I've never once come across this room."_

_"I stumbled upon it. I didn't go looking for it or anything. And anyway we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about this ruddy letter," she said angrily, holding said letter up in the air for all to see. "What did you tell them that made them send this to me?"_

_"I don't know; nothing, I didn't think," I replied, shrugging slightly in confusion, "I didn't know they were going to do anything like this. Honest."_

_"I guess believe you,” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “But that doesn't change that it happened. You parents sent me this contract and though I've never met them, I don't think they'll appreciate a refusal."_

_"You were thinking of refusing?" Ryland stated with wide eyes, looking up at her from where he'd been picking at a loose thread in the couch arm._

_"Well of course," she replied, "I couldn't rightly say yes. I don't love him. I'm not going to marry someone I don't love."_

_"Marriage isn't about love," Alphard replied with a look I couldn't decipher. "If it was, I wouldn't be marrying Gertrude Flint."_

_"And I wouldn't be marrying Odelia Greengrass; lovely trollip that she is," Ryland scoffed before donning a feminine snooty voice to imitate her, "No Yaxley, I want to go to the Alley. And a proper betrothed would buy what I desire...however many galleons it may be." He slouched into the couch in misery before uttering, "ouch" and shooting upward rubbing his back._

_“None the less,” she replied, rolling her eyes before letting herself land hard in the spot beside me on the couch, rubbing her eyes tiredly, “I don’t know what to do in this situation. I never thought that something like this would come up.”_

_“What was your plan then?” Tom questioned curiously, leaning forward from his tightly packed area on the couch to eye her._

_“Mostly to get a job and take care of myself…” she replied, shrugging before eyeing all of our looks of disbelief, “Well I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought much on it.”_

_“Apparently not,” Ryland replied sarcastically._

_“It would probably be in your best interest if you accepted,” Alphard told her to which I couldn’t help but silently agree. Who wouldn’t want to accept a contract from a Malfoy? What if the name of Merlin was so horrible about me that the bint would rather be a pariah of the Wizarding World than tolerate a marriage with me?_

_“That’s entirely the point,” she huffed, pressing herself further into the couch beside me with her arms crossed, “I don’t want to do something simply because it’s, ‘in my best interest’.”_

_“That’s why you’re in Gryffindor,” Tom replied with one raised eyebrow._

_“Well how do you feel about this?” she suddenly asked turning toward me in frustration, her hair looking bushier and more wild than usual, “You can’t honestly_ want _to marry ME.”_

_“I never really thought much on it,” I shrugged trying to imagine a wife from the birds I’d seen in school. Either of the Carrow girls were instantly out, I’d rather Avada myself then marry either of them. Otherwise there was Alessandra Lestrange, Ophelia Cornfoot, Amethyst Burke who I now realize would’ve been a decent choice with her connections but was already in a contract, Evelyn Rosier, Puturi Blishwick, Ansley Nott, those Shell twins, that Prince girl that Macmillan hung about with, Ilaria Gamp, Katherine MacDougal, Margot Prewitt, Olive Hornsby, Ottilie Macnair, Ursula Meliflua, the Brown cousins, or that Mehta girl. I was sure that I was missing quite a few but even with all of those, there was none that I could imagine wandering Malfoy manor, raising my children, taking command of anything._

_The thought of kissing any of those girls brought bile to my throat and I couldn’t help but turn to look at Myone who was off muttering about something again. I wasn’t paying any mind to it, and she kept on none the less but I couldn’t help but eye her mouth. It was small and pink and pert and made WAY to much noise but…I guess it wouldn’t be horrid to kiss? And her face wasn’t so atrocious that I would be frightened to wake up to it in the mornings when we were forced to share a room while attempting to conceive._

_I guess she was the most tolerable of the lot._

_“You’d do,” I said without meaning to and I watched as her pert mouth suddenly stopped making obnoxious little noises and turned to look at me,_

_“What?”_

_“What?” I questioned back, my eyebrows raised as I attempted to back myself out of a corner._

_“I’d do?” she repeated, glaring at me, “I’d do what?”_

_I froze for a second, trying to figure out something that wouldn't sound completely dunderheaded and coming up blank. I simply stared blankly at her for a few moments before responding with, "What?"_

_"Idiot," she huffed, crinkling her nose at me and narrowing her eyes before leaning back on the couch and wincing, "Maybe these couches aren't the_ most _comfortable."_

_"What have I been saying this entire time!" Ryland huffed, indignantly._

_"This is all well and good but we have class soon and we need to determine exactly what we came here to determine. Ms. Macmillan; are you or are you not accepting the contract?" Tom questioned, getting down to the point._

_"I already told you I am not marrying someone just because it’s expected of me," she glared annoyed._

_"Then a resolution..."_

_"But..." she finally continued, interrupting Tom and succeeding in receiving his most furious glare, "I will consent to a pending status."_

_"And what is that supposed to mean?" I couldn't help but question in annoyance._

_"I don't want to marry at all, and I'm sure you don't_ really _want to marry me." I shrugged rather than starting another argument about how none of that matters anyway._

_"So we can just leave it for now. As far as Hogwarts is concerned, I'll accept but we all know that I won't so when I graduate it will simply look bad on me rather than you, thee illustrious Abraxas Malfoy...yeah?"_

_That didn't make any ruddy sense at all. Contracts are typically drawn up during Hogwarts and if I leave without one it will look as though there is something wrong with me. Besides, if Macmillan is thinking of getting a career after this with a cancelled contract following behind, even the rumor of one will ruin any chance of that. She wasn't thinking. She couldn’t be that stupid, she probably just didn't want to appear too eager. Fine._

_"That's fine. Whatever you'd like."_

_"Good," she responded, nodding her head in confirmation earning me strange looks from the rest of the boys._

_"That of course means we'll have to go on courtship dates," I added, reveling in the look of horror on her face._

* * *

_I sat in potions trying to avoid looking at Abraxas simply because I didn't want to. All three boys at my table made me annoyed at the moment. Dates, what utter rubbish. Well that wasn't what Malfoy had called it; 'courtship dates' even worse. I wanted to gag. A courtship with a Malfoy. What would the bouncing ferret have to say about that? Surely nothing pleasant._

_I glanced over at the cluster of tables to my left and saw Fen in the chair closest mine with Flint, Avery, and a Ravenclaw whose name I wasn't familiar arguing over what I could only assume to be their potions project. "We need fluxweed, Greyback and since you don't have the money to_ buy _what we needed for this project then you need to get the fluxweed," Avery admonished with a sneer._

_"That's fine," Greyback grumbled bitterly, "I'll get your ruddy fluxweed you great git, and won't make my daddy buy it either."_

_"What did you just say?" Avery shouted, standing in his seat, his wand in hand and pointed threateningly at Greyback's face._

_"Your ears to busy ringing from your own intolerable noise that you can't hear anything else?" Greyback asked back, feigning curiosity._

_Just as I was sure that spells would go flying, Slughorn appeared rumpled and rather worse for wear, muttering under his breath as he made his way to the desk, dropping his things atop it._

_"Sorry I'm late everyone," he apologized quickly, "Bit of a mishap in the dorms this morning."_

_I glanced toward the boys in front of me to find that neither Ryland nor Abraxas would look me in the eye though Tom simply shrugged his shoulders in confusion as well._

_"It seems that Mr. Roverts won't be in class for a bit, he's come...come down with something."_

_"Is it serious sir?"_ _Mikel Koffker, the sole Hufflepuff in NEWT potions asked with concern._

_"Yeah?" Zuvanc Prewitt added, his hands slamming down on the tabletop, his brows furrowed, "The bloke's got our Billywig Sting Slime and Nightshade."_

_"Well he'll be indisposed for the time being," Professor Slughorn responded quickly, behaving much like he had when Harry had questioned him over Tom and the Horcrux conversation which was only increasing my suspicions. Slughorn, however was having none of it, "Anyhow, we have wasted enough time. Let's get busy all."_

_“What do you think that was all about?” I asked the group curiously, turning to eye them each in turn, though not one met my gaze._

_“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Tom replied after a moment, “But the Professors’ right, we do need to get busy and focus on our potion, now what are we adding this lesson?”_

_“Ammoniacum,” Abraxas noted after a quick flick through the textbook. “We’ll add Nightshade on Wednesday, then it says to let it stew.”_

_“Good,” Tom replied, acquiring said ingredient from his bag and setting it atop the table._

_“Do you think we should work on Mendacirum while we’re at it? It doesn’t take long to make but is incredibly difficult,” I asked suddenly, knowing that at least one other table would be working on Veritaserum too and we needed something special to make ourselves stand out._

_“What are you on about?” Ryland asked curiously, his brows furrowed in confusion._

_“Mendacirum,” I repeated, hoping beyond hope that it had already been invented._

_“And again I say, ‘what are you on about’?” Ryland repeated, raising one brow._

_“The antidote to Veritaserum of course,” Tom replied with a roll of his eyes, “The name is a bit off since Veritaserum is latin for truth serum while Mendacirum roughly translates to lying serum which doesn’t make sense since it doesn’t make you lie rather it simply doesn’t force you to tell the truth. Why anyone would name it Mendacirum is beyond me.”_

_“Ohh,” Abraxas nodded, “I knew there was an antidote to Veritaserum I just didn’t know the name of it.”_

_“Me either,” Ryland added._

_“Most don’t since it doesn’t make much sense,” I agreed._

_“I don’t_ disagree _to making it. It’s really up to you lot of if we should or not,” Tom answered, putting his opinion in straight away._

_“Why do you think we should?” Ryland asked curiously._

_“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “I just think it might be useful. Plus, we need something to make us stand out. There’s no telling what the other groups are doing but from what Zurvanc mentioned it sounds to me like they are doing the same thing. If theirs comes out as good as ours, then we’re finished in terms of O’s.”_

_“Agreed,” Abraxas nodded, “I say yes. I can purchase the ingredients and we can just say that no one should have Veritaserum on hand without its antidote as well. Make it seem obvious.”_

_“Great idea, Brax,” Ryland agreed._

* * *

_“So Slughorn had found Roverts, that’s something; at least he won’t be in our rooms tonight muttering his nonsense,” Tom commented to the rest of us from a silenced corner of the library._

_I glanced over at Alphard who simply looked back and me and shrugged._

_“So what are your thoughts on the Macmillan situation,” Tom finally asked, looking at me curiously._

_“What about it?” I shrugged, eyeing him right back._

_“Well, did you really tell your parents to send her a contract?” Tom continued, earning curious stares from the other two._

_“Of course not,” I growled furiously, “You know I didn’t want to marry already despite knowing of its inevitable arrival. And I sure as hell didn’t put anything of the like into my parent’s heads.”_

_“So how do you feel about this? About marrying Macmillan?” Alphard asked curiously, looking up from the book that he’d been glancing down at from time to time to give me his full attention._

_“I don’t know? I guess she’s fine. I mean she’s one of the better birds to choose from…if I had to choose that is.”_

_“Well I for one am thankful that this has happened,” Tom finally said after a minute, causing all four of us to look up at him in disbelief._

_“I’m sorry what?” I responded._

_“Yeah, sounded like you said you were glad?” Ryland added._

_“I said thankful, not glad,” Tom replied, “But yes, I am. Myone Macmillan is suspicious but I think that she could be of some use to us and our cause; as the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”_

_“So which is she, friend or enemy?” Alphard asked curiously._

_“I’m not sure yet. An even better reason to keep her close. However I was not looking forward to having to cart around a wife in the least. Abraxas on the other hand is perfect. This couldn’t have worked out better.” I stared at the man in disbelief. Was he really saying all this? “That is why you had better not screw this up. She will marry you and you will find out what you can about her; is that understood?”_

_“How the hell do you figure…” I began before trailing off as his eyes flashed an almost redish tint and I sighed in indignation, “Fine. I’ll do my best but we both know that that girl has a mind of her own. There is no way to change her mind once it’s settled.”_

_“Then you better convince her before its settled then,” Tom replied sinisterly before going back to his paper for Alchemy without so much as a glance up._


	27. To Fetch an Ingredient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myone contends with having Abraxas as an intended | Fen collects ingredients for Potions.

_Abraxas, Tom, and Ryland insisted on dropping me at Charms before heading to Care of Magical Creatures; something I found to be completely unnecessary and only seemed to grate on my already frayed nerves. They’d allowed me to find my way to class on my own after that first day when Tom had forced Caspar Crouch to escort me so why they thought I needed an escort now was beyond me._

_“You know,” I huffed out annoyed as we made our way down the hallway toward the classroom, “I haven’t forgotten how to navigate the corridors.”_

_“We just want to ensure that you get to class safely from the Dungeons,” Tom mentioned with a sickly sweet smile, "You are quite valuable now, you realize."_

_“And you must realize that_ you _are the most dangerous thing in the dungeons, Riddle,” I replied, rolling my eyes as I huffed in annoyance. I adjusted my beaded bad on my shoulder in frustration as I sped up, putting distance between us. Tom simply raised a brow at my comment._

_The four of us finally stopped in front of the door to Charms and we stood there rather awkwardly before I finally had to put a stop to it. Waving my hand dismissively, shooing them away, I instructed, “Well…off you go then.”_

_“Oh, right,” Abraxas muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sure.” I heard steps coming from around the corner but they approached faster than I could get the boys to go on their way. I really didn’t want anyone to realize that they were walking me to class; it was one thing to walk to class together, quite another to be walked to class like an invalid. However, Professor Fletcher came around the corner quicker than I’d expected, his sage robes billowing about. He paused outside his classroom door as he spotted us, grinning widely._

_“Ahh yes,” he smiled toothily, “Young love.” I winced in embarrassment but thought it best not to argue as the Professor pulled open the door and stepped aside to let me through first. I nodded my head in curt thanks and disappeared inside, leaving the boys to fend for themselves._

_Placing my things down in my usual seat, I smiled at Margaret who made a harrumph noise and looked away from me as she turned up her nose beside me. I furrowed my brow and sat in my chair rather dejectedly, it was a bit disappointing that she was simply going to discount me for my sudden engagement announcement at breakfast. I had hoped that not everyone would instantly do so, especially a Muggleborn who was so used to being discounted without getting a fair shake._

_I decided it may be best to simply keep my nose down today and off the radar, something that wouldn't be too difficult with this class, we were simply studying the different types of locking charms according to the board up front; something that was to be done on our own._

_After Charms class I was making my way to the Great Hall when I was nearly tackled to the ground. Immediately I was on high alert, especially knowing how many people would be upset over the news that I was taking Malfoy off the market. Quickly getting to my feet, I pulled my wand and felt the beginning of a spell, sparks emitting from my wand. It wasn't until I noticed who was standing before me that I let the sparks fizzle out, though I hadn't lowered the wand yet._

_“So,” Charlus smiled, his hands half-raised in a mock surrender, “Where’s my wedding invitation?” His hair was more haphazard than normal and if he had had glasses perched upon his nose I would not have been able to tell him from Harry._

_“Owl must have gotten lost,” I lied with a shrug, letting my wand arm fall to my side as he laughed._

_“I’ve always wanted to go over to that giant Manor and take a dump on the front porch,” Greyback grinned, his uniform in its usual unkempt form._

_“Really Fen?” I couldn’t help but question as I wrinkled my nose in distaste, “That’s what you’ve always wanted to do?”_

_“Well…you know what I mean?” he shrugged._

_“Can’t say that I do," I replied raising a single brow mockingly._

_He waved his hand dismissively at me as Leach threw an arm over my shoulder and led me to the Gryffindor table for Lunch, the other two only a step behind. I tried to get out from under it but he was having none of it. “Nobbs,” I warned, chancing a glance over to the Slytherin table where my current fiancé was glaring avidly, “Remove your arm.”_

_“What for?” he questioned, before pulling me tighter to him._

_“You're Muggleborn-” I began, trying to explain the ridiculous rules and customs I’d learned in Traditional Studies but he interrupted before I could continue,_

_“Marrying Malfoy, has already corrupted you,” he huffed, “Calling me a Muggleborn as a reason why…”_

_“No,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes, “I just mean that since your Muggleborn, you don’t know all the ridiculous rules that come along with these ruddy contracts, you can’t have your arm around me like this.” I tried to slide out from under again and this time he allowed it, letting his arm hang._

_“I liked you a lot better when you weren’t engaged to Malfoy,” Nobert grumbled annoyed._

_“You and me both,” I agreed under my breath, as we finally reached the table, “If you’d like, I’ll let you borrow my Traditionals text so you understand the rules.”_

_“Rather hex my own eye out,” Norbert sulked, finding a spot beside his friends and moving his food around on his plate in self-pity._

_Feeling as though I probably should find a different place to sit, I glanced down the table to see if there were any open seats, surprised and excited to see that there was an open spot beside Bessandra Shell, her sister Quintessa right beside her._

_“Oh, hello,” Bessie greeted with a smile as I made my way down to the twins, taking a seat beside Bessie._

_“It’s nice to see you,” Tessie added._

_“Is it?” I questioned curiously, “I’ve begun to wonder from the looks I’m getting in class.”_

_“Oh don’t mind them,” Bessie smiled, “They just don’t understand.”_

_“And they’re jealous,” Tessie added before throwing a thumb in her twin’s direction, “Like Bessie here.”_

_“You wanted Malfoy?” I questioned Molly Weasley’s mother in disbelief._

_“Malfoy? Ew no,” Bessie laughed. “No offense,” she added as an afterthought, “You can have him all to yourself. I want Zuvanc." She leaned down on her hand with a forlorn look and sighed dreamily, her red hair cascading onto the table and landing in her lunch. "I’m jealous that you’ve gotten your contract. I’ve been wishing for Zuvanc to send me a contract all year.”_

_“But he’s a seventh year,” Tessie smirked, giving her sister a dubious glance, “Won’t show a fourthy like her the light of day.”_

_“I haven’t talked to him much but he seems quite nice,” I responded with a smile, “He’s in a lot of my classes.”_

_“Lucky,” Bessie scoffed, muttering into her lunch as she shoved hash into her mouth in dispair._

_“Anyway, you sure didn’t come sit by us to listen to old Bess whine about Prewitt,” Tessie laughed, bumping her twin’s shoulder as she picked food from the girl’s hair, “By the way, you should probably have a look at your intended over there.”_

_Glancing in the direction Tessie indicated, I spotted Abraxas seated with Tom, Ryland, and Alphard; Alessandra Lestrange seated right beside Abraxas, leaning over him as close as possible, touching his arm affectionately._

_“Well look at that,” Bessie smirked._

_“She’s just having a grand ol’ time.” Tessie added._

_"Like us to hex her for you?" they asked together, their eyes alight with excitement._

_“We know all sorts of curses,” Tessie began._

_“We learned the bat bogey hex from this older girl and it doesn’t sound like much but it’s mighty impressive,” Bessie added with a grin, her despair over Prewitt forgotten._

_“Want us to show you?” they asked curiously. But I’d stopped listening; instead using all of my attention to focus on the Slytherin table and bloody Lestrange._

_Now she was trailing her fingers through his hair, talking in hush tones. His lip was curled in distaste but he wasn't fighting her off near enough for my liking. I'd forced Norbert away from me and caused a rift between the two of us but ruddy Malfoy will just sit there and allow her to stroke his arm like she's trying to take it home with her._

_"Oh look at that there, Bess," Tess smirked._

_"Fight's about to break out in the Great Hall," Bess added with a nod of agreement._

_"What?" I asked turned my attention away to look for the fight in the Great Hall only to find that they were talking about me. "No, definitely not. But I am going to go put a stop to that...whatever it is."   I was sputtering by the end, but I stood, abandoning my food and making my way across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table._

_"Just let us know if you need any good hexes," Tessie shouted with a grin, "We really know some right good ones."_

_"Just ask Muriel," Bessie added, before they started laughing together._

_I stopped just behind Ryland so that I had full view of both Abraxas and the bint beside him. Malfoy was busy eating (trying to anyway with the way she had trapped his arm) and had yet to notice, Lestrange however, was going more and more outlandish as she'd noticed me standing there._

_Two can play at this game, Tom gave me a glance and spotted my furious eyes but widened them at the words that left my lips,_

_"Brax, love?"_

_Immediately Malfoy's eyes were on mine, confusion lacing his features as he tried to shake Lestrange off more furiously._

_"Um, huh...wha? What?" I'd made the man speechless. Wonderful._

_"Brax, sweetheart.   Are we still going to Hogsmeade together for our courtship date? I know we'll need a chaperone but if we bring one of your friends we could probably lose them for a little while, couldn't we?" For added effect I added a bit of pouty lip, I was trying to go for a bit of Lavender Brown but downplaying the shrill cries of "Won Won"._

_"Um, ye...yeah....sure." I'd made Malfoy sputter about like an idiot; success._

_Finally I glanced at Lestrange with an exaggerated look Malfoy was sure to catch out of the corner of my eye before looking down dejectedly and noticed an immediate effect on the man._

_"Get off me woman," he glared angrily pushing at her desperately. She released him and slid down the bench sadly and I couldn't help but smirk at my own victory, regretting it as I made eye contact with Tom again and he smiled a creepy snake-like smile; a Voldemort smile. I quickly moved back to my seat beside the twins and finished eating, ignoring their questions and jokes._

* * *

_After lunch I made my way to Transfiguration and found my usual seat. Without friends like Harry and Ron who attended almost every class with me (being in Gryffindor), I often found that I sat with different people in each class, something I found quite refreshing in this time. Transfiguration was one such class. Despite my friendship with Leach, Greyback, and Potter who all attended this class as well, I found that sitting with two Ravenclaws very enlightening, even if our first few days hadn't gone so well._

_"Hello Salvatore, Lyall," I smiled, taking the seat beside the black haired Ravenclaw and adjusting my books along the tabletop._

_"Have you heard?" Salvatore asked curiously._

_"Heard what?" I asked, "About the rumor of my marriage? Let me stop you there, it's true."_

_"Heard that one. Already figured that," he replied, shrugging it off nonchalantly, "I meant about Roverts."_

_"Well, he wasn't in potions this morning," I added._

_"Know that too," Salvatore sighed, before rolling his eyes, "I'm in potions with you."_

_"Oh right." I smiled, noticing the many similarities to Professor Snape._

_"Lyall," Salvatore turned, "Tell Macmillan what you heard this morning."_

_"Slither Slither like a snake, watch what's coming in your wake, for the end of one reign bring, a toll of deathly bells do ring," Lyall Lupin recited._

_"Is that a new riddle for your Dormitory Portrait hole?" I questioned confused._

_"No!" Lyall huffed, "And I'm not even going to ask how you know how to get into Ravenclaw's House. No, it was what Roverts was muttering this morning._ All _he was muttering."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well apparently he was found this morning in the Slytherin dormitories after everyone had left, babbling nonsense. He was with Dumbledore, Slughorn, Dippet, and Vostic and they were leading him up to the Hospital wing. I got up early to study in the library but thankfully they didn't see me."_

_I paused, that story didn't play out. The walk from the dungeons to the Hospital wing would be nowhere near either the Library nor Ravenclaw; I decided to say nothing, simply allowed him to continue on._

_"Vostic said that all the symptoms pointed to a Cruciatus Curse Insanity," Salvatore added._

_"I was getting there," Lyall huffed._

_"We'll be boarding the Express by the time you finish, ruddy story teller, you are."_

_"What?" I gasped out, "He was tortured?"_

_"Well, they didn't_ say _tortured, but they alluded to it enough that I'd bet on it," Lyall nodded._

_"Despite what Slughorn says, I don't think Roverts is ever coming back. He'll be a permanent member of the Janus Thickey ward I'd say."_

_"I can't believe it."_

_"I can," Salvatore responded, "I know you're marrying Malfoy, but that whole lot is up to something. Something nefarious."_

_"You think Malfoy tortured Roverts?" I questioned with wide eyes, my wind whirling at the possibility. How had I not seen this coming. I'd known that Riddle was looking into the Horcruxes during 5th year, but to think that they had_ all _gone this far._

_But wait, Tom had already made a Horcrux, he'd used Myrtle's death to create it. I'd almost forgotten how evil he already was. He could have easily tortured someone to insanity. And not just Myrtle. He'd already killed his muggle family. I felt a chill go up my spine. I was getting far to complacent here and I wasn't even trying that hard to get home anymore._

_"Well..." Salvatore paused, "Maybe not Malfoy, but one of them did. I wouldn't put it past Avery, Yaxley, Riddle, or most of that lot."_

_"I wouldn't either," I mumbled to myself, my heart racing._

_"You alright?" Salvatore asked curiously, his black eyes eying me._

_"What?" I asked, turning to look at him, startled that he noticed my nervousness._

_"Alright everyone," Dumbledore smiled, startling me back to the front and away from Prince. Professor Dumbledore made his way into the room from his office with a loud clap of his hands, "Today we will be working on some of the most difficult magic in existence, Conjuration."_

_"But sir?" Margret questioned, her hand still raised as she talked, "We've been conjuring things for years."_

_"Yes my dear," Professor Dumbledore continued, "But to conjure something out of thin air is more difficult than to change something in existence and the more complex the item you are attempting to conjure the more difficult the magic is._

_“Think for example, about a sock. Some fabric, a sock-like shape. Not too difficult, I would imagine. Now think about a frog, think about its lungs, its heart, its stomach; how its legs are formed, its different bones, how its eyes see. Much more difficult, you see._

_"It is not unlikely that you will conjure a frog with no organs a few times."_

_At this, many of the class looked intrigued and grossed out at the same time and I was pleased to note that it was time to concentrate on a challenge._

* * *

_Traditional Studies came around faster than I would have liked and I sat in Madam Black's class with my cheek smashed against my hand as my elbow propped it up on the tabletop. It was officially the last class of day one of being engaged to a Malfoy; if you could call it that...which I wasn't._

_"Are you alright?" Ottilie whispered with concern from my left. I didn't even bother to look in her direction, merely nodded without so much as lifting my head. I'd been glared at so much following my impromptu announcement during breakfast in the Great Hall that I wasn't much in the mood for anything._

_"Well you may find yourself above all of this Ms. Macmillan but you will find that I don't agree," Madam Black glared suddenly, alerting me to the fact that she had been speaking all along, "While it seems that you were able to sink your fangs into the young Mr. Malfoy, that doesn't mean you are finished with your learning here in this class."_

_"Of course not Madam Black," I replied, attempting to not roll my eyes in annoyance and finding it rather difficult._

_"Due to you...happy circumstances...I thought today we would discuss the matter of engagements."_

_The other girls seemed to brighten and sit up even straighter at this while I could only attempt to withhold a scoff._

_"Now as you know, the shorter the engagement, the higher in society you are, of course," Madam Black began, moving about the front of the room and making me think that if only she was wearing pink twead rather than her long black gown she'd be a twin for Umbridge, "And the shortest can be as little as two months. Now, how many of you ladies are engaged?"_

_I suddenly watched as almost all the girls around me lifted their hands proudly. Amethyst Burke, Ilaria Gamp, Odelia Greengrass, Ottilie Macnair, Alessandra Lestrange, Gertrude Flint, Ansley Nott, Evelyn Rosier, Ophelia Cornfoot, Lindou Dunbar, and Ursula Meliflua. There seemed to be no limit due to house or otherwise, though I did notice with a bit of comfort that neither of the Carrow girls lifted their hands. It was a bit with belated thought that I lifted my own. Raising my hand in class had been a bit of a habit over my years at Hogwarts but never had I thought I'd be raising it for that._

_The Gryffindors seemed to be the least with contracts having only Lindou and I out of the four in traditionals._

_"Oh my dears, why ever not?" Madam Black asked with almost true concern in her voice as she approached the twins._

_"Well we've been offered for,"_ _Antonetta replied sadly._

_"But we were so sure of Messrs Malfoy and Riddle that we'd turned them down," Annalina added, despair in her eyes, clearly playing up a Slytherin tactic to garner pity._

_"They'd been such good friends for years and we wanted to keep them together," Antonetta tacked on._

_"We're so heartbroken," they finished together in despair, wailing ridiculously in their seats, a bit like cartoons I watched as a child._

_"Oh there, there girls," Madam Black tut-tutted, conjuring hankies for the two of them, "I'm_ sure _they'll come to their senses very soon." It was then that she turned away from the girls and focused her odd glare at me, causing me to sit back and narrow my eyes in confusion, was she attempting to intimidate me?_

* * *

_"Oh that....that ruddy hippogriff," I shouted, slamming my beaded bag onto the library table in the back of the room and causing a string of beads to detach_ _from the_ _bag to go off in all directions, one hitting Alphard in the eye and another moving toward Tom before he waved it away with a bit of wandless magic._

_"Trouble?" Ryland asked curiously, leaning forward and staring at Alphard as he held his eye in pain._

_"Do you mind?" Madam Oxkin hissed angrily as she passed by our table, her hands full of books,_ _"Some students are trying to study._ _"_

_"Sorry," I muttered sheepishly, sliding into the empty seat beside Abraxas and crossing my arms childishly._

_"So what's wrong with you?" Alphard asked, rubbing his eye._

_"I get she's your Gran yeah, but ohhhh, I can't help but want to slap her."_

_"She's my Gran and I can't help but want to slap her from time to time so your fine, continue," Alphard replied, causing the table to smirk._

_"She was making digs about me all ruddy class," I sneered, "She's worse than Professor Sna.." I cut myself off just in time. I needed to keep track of where I was and who I was ranting to._

_"Professor who?" Tom asked curiously._

_"Oh nothing," I shrugged, "Just a Professor from my old school."_

_"From Durmstrang?" Tom questioned, and my eyes went wide. I hadn't referred to Durmstrang in so long I couldn't remember, was that what I had told them_ _?_

_"Yes. Durmstrang...that's right."_

_"So what did she say anyway?" Ryland asked curiously, smirking._

_"Let me think, how did she say it? Oh yes, it went 'Don't worry girls, the Malfoy family is_ very _particular about the women they let in. I'm_ sure _they just haven't met Ms. Macmillan yet'. I mean what the ruddy hell is that supposed to mean. It was clearly very insulting."_

_Ryland couldn't help but burst out laughing and even the other three were smirking. "It's not funny," I glared furiously, before thumping Malfoy on the arm, "And don't_ you _dare laugh. This is all your fault to begin with. And what else did she say. Oh, 'All boys have that rebellious phase, we can just hope that it doesn't go so far that it can't be corrected' and my favorite of all is 'Some girls flaunt themselves so that men can only see the surface and not the true brains beneath. Once he realizes that there's nothing there he will go for someone of substance. Wait it out ladies and you won't be sorry'. She said this to the Carrow girls, the Carrows!"_

_At this point all four were laughing aloud and it was causing even me to chuckle a bit. The furious anger that I'd come in with was slowly diminishing down to make way for hilarity as I chuckled along with a Malfoy and a young Voldemort; who would've thought. Certainly not me, especially after my conversation with Salvatore._

_"I think it would be best if you took your entertainment elsewhere," Madam Oxkin huffed, her glare sharp and her nose pinched. I couldn't help but feel bad despite only laughing harder as we all quickly gathered our belongings and scurried from the room._

_"Lovely," Tom scoffed in annoyance once we stood in the corridor starring up at the library doors, "Banned from the library."_

_"I highly doubt we've been permanently banned from the library," I scoffed back with a smirk, "If that was the case, the library would have little purpose in Hogwarts."_

_"It's still thoroughly degrading."_

_"Talking about having to look at yourself in the mirror again, Riddle?" Nobbs smirked, a saucy wink thrown in my direction as he, Greyback, and Potter happened to walk in our direction._

_"Lovely," Alphard grumbled under his breath._

_"Best keep your eyes to yourself mudblood," Ryland sneered, glaring at Leach with disdain, "The lass is taken."_

_"Haven't you heard," Norbert replied in that self-depreciating way that I've done once or twice in my own time, illuminating just how long this rivalry had gone on for and indicating where his sentence would likely go, "I'm just full of dirty blood; don't know how to behave in civilized society. Maybe I'll simply ravage her. Can't help myself_ _, after all."_

_"Nobbs," I admonished_ _in astonishment, my eyes wide. Despite this engagement being nothing more than a ruse, I knew Abraxas wouldn't take a threat like that lightly._

_"Did you just threaten my intended?" Abraxas snarled, taking a step forward in fury. I tried to restrain him_ _, placing a hand on his_ _chest but he_ _pushed past and continued on in his advancement._

_"Charlus do something," I huffed in_ _bewilderment, now placing_ _one hand on each Abraxas and Norbert to try and hold them back from one another. Why had_ _Potter been_ _of no assistance throughout this entire altercation?_

_"What do you expect me to do?" he shrugged and I huffed indignantly._

_"I don't care," I shouted in frustration, "Anything!"_

_"Oh,_ _you hoo," a voice suddenly cooed from out of nowhere causing all anger to cease as we all looked in the direction of the Carrow twins_ _who seemed to be looking on from the other side of the corridor._

_"Hello Mr. Malfoy,"_ _Antonetta smiled, waving her fingers individually to appear cute._

_"Hello Mr. Riddle," Annalina added, trying to look sexy with something that was probably supposed to be a pouty lip but just looked as though she was about to be sick._

_"Is there something I can help you with?" I glared with a roll of my eyes._

_"Ms. Macmillan,"Antonetta huffed with a sneer, saying my name as though I were the most disgusting thing she'd ever witnessed, "I see you're here as well."_

_"Clearly," I replied, wrinkling my nose at the obviousness of that statement._

_"Well we'd really rather not have to look at you," Annalina added, the sickly pout still on her face in disappointment._

_"Then go somewhere else," I replied, still standing between the Slytherin and Gryffindor who were going back and forth between looking at the Carrows in bewilderment and glaring at one another._

_"But we want to see Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Riddle," Annalina said with a high pitch whine now in her voice._

_"Well they're busy at the moment," I replied, my voice showing my annoyance._

_"But why?" Antonetta asked confused._

_"We just_ have _to_ _see them." They were both whining now._

_"Merlins saggy pants, get out of here before I hex both of your mouths shut and make everyone's lives at Hogwarts infinitely better, you empty headed clods!"_

_That seemed to be enough to get the two of them moving down the hallway. Once both girls were no longer in sight, all seven boys began to laugh uproariously._

_"That was great," Leach thundered out, stepping back from where my hand had been holding him back so that I could allow it to relax, "I haven't laughed like that in months."_

_"Merlin's saggy pants?" Yaxley smirked, "Wonderfully put."_

_"Sweet Salazar. Did you see the looks on those girls faces," Alphard smirked, throwing a look at Abraxas who grinned._

_"My intended has quite the temper," he grinned, proudly, I couldn't help but roll my eyes in annoyance and leave the entire group behind as I headed to supper._

* * *

_I was sitting in the common room, my feet tucked under me in the chair facing the hearth as I tapped the feathered end of my quill against my chin in contemplation. Hearing footsteps from the boys’ dormitories I glanced behind myself curiously and spotted Greyback, carrying his boots together in his right hand as he attempted to button up his robe with his left. He thumped himself down on the chair beside mine and smiled at me as he dressed._

_“Where are you going?” I asked him curiously. He glanced up at me as he wove the strings around the lacing hooks of his boots and grinned widely at me._

_“I was elected to get some ingredients for our group’s Polyjuice and Veritserum Potions,” he replied, “It seems those delegated to me are comin' up and they've been bustin’ me chops ‘bout it as of late. Said I ain’t got much time left. Figure_ _tonight’s the night.” He shrugged his shoulders as he finished the other boot before looking at the side table between us and grabbing one of the tarts off the tray that I had gotten from the kitchen._

_“Hey,” I huffed annoyed, “Those were mine!”_

_“Mine now,” he smiled with a laugh before standing and moving to the portrait door, calling out, “I hope you’re in bed by the time I get back-otherwise I might have to drag you up to mine. Make sure you get your rest…or not.”_

_“That’s disgusting,” I shouted, grabbing the first thing I noticed, a tart, and lobbing it in his direction; he caught it easily and smiled as he bit into it._

_"Ol' Malfoy hasn't claimed you yet. Sleep tight love," he called, waving goodbye with his free hand as he went._

_Having had a long enough distraction, I immediately got back to work on my essay for Professor Binns. I woke up two hours later to find that I had, in fact, fallen asleep. I sighed and rubbed my hand down my face. I couldn’t help but wonder if Fen had made it back. I assumed he hadn’t. He probably would’ve woken me. Should I go gallivanting about the castle? Probably not, but I could return the tart tray back to the kitchens and while I was at it, check the grounds for the boy._

_Sighing at my cracking back as I stood, I closed my book and placed the parchment, quill, and text onto the side table as I grabbed the tray that previously held the spot and left the common room, the fat lady giving me a lecture as I went, “Why in blue blazes are you waking_ _me_ _in the middle of the night? You and that boy, both; you’re going to get yourselves killed!”_

_I ignored her and continued on._

_After dropping off the tray to the uninhabited kitchens and reaching the Entrance Hall, I retched open the door and walked out onto the lawn. Oh Godric it was freezing. What had I been thinking? It was January and I was in_ _pyjamas. I paused at the door to cast a warming charm before keeping close eye on my steps, cautious not to stumble down the hill as I made my way toward the forbidden forest, swinging my arms by my sides as I went to maintain balance; my wand firmly in my right hand as I arrived at the glade. The snow was continuing to fall steadily and any chance to find Greyback by his steps was long gone after two hours of snowfall._

_Taking a deep breath and bouncing on the balls of my feet for a minute in preparation and warmth, I brushed my left hand along the first tree I passed and moved swiftly; something didn’t feel right. “Fenrir!” I shouted loudly, hoping to garner his attention and have him respond…nothing._

_Annoyed, I moved farther into the forest, careful not to trip over fallen branches and logs that littered the ground unseen. I could hear the twigs snap below my feet and the wind rustling the trees and bushes as I went. I shivered a bit and ran my hands over my exposed upper arms, attempting to smooth the goose flesh. The warming charm was only helping so much with the cold._

_“Fen,” I shouted again. He really did need to hurry up, “Greyback, where are you?”_

_Nothing. Seriously?_

_“Greyback,” I screamed loudly, leaning over at the waist as I ran out of breath from the shout. Nothing. I was starting to get nervous; what if something happened to him? I looked up at the sky as I tried to think of another plan and froze; it was a full moon? Oh god, it was a full moon. How had I not noticed that? Was I becoming that complacent in this time that I wasn’t even keeping track of the moon phases, after everything with Professor Lupin-Remus I always kept track of the moon phases._

_Greyback…the moon. It couldn’t be now, could it? No, that wasn’t possible. CRACK. I whipped my head around at the sound. My own hair slapping me in the face at the speed I turned. Nothing. That one word seemed to be coming up a lot tonight. Should I shout for him again or am I just inviting trouble? Maybe I should go back to the castle and get help._

_Yes, that actually made the most sense. Gathering my senses I held my wand flat out in the palm of my hand, “Point me.” The wand turned north and I nodded before gripping it tightly again. I needed to head west to get back to the castle and I couldn’t see out of the forest at this point so I had a bit of a ways to go. Sighing, slightly disappointed, I headed west._

_I’d made it to a clearing within the forest and paused; I hadn’t gone through a clearing on my way in, was I really going the right way? I pulled out my wand again, “Point me.” Well, at least I was still headed in the right direction. I was about to continue when I heard a twig snap, then another. I froze, “Fenrir?” A growl; oh good Godric!_

_I whipped around in a complete circle and spotted it to my right; the yellow eyes shone brightly in the moonlight and once I’d acknowledged it, it seemed entranced; coming from behind the bush into the clearing, growling, saliva dripping from its teeth and landing on the snow below it. That’s it, I’m going to die._

_I pointed my wand at him from my outstretched hand in fear shouting, “Reducto.” He leapt to the side and snarled angrily at me as it blasted and uprooted a tree in the distance. I turned, my wand facing him again, “Repello!”_

_He dodged again, before suddenly leaping toward me too quickly for me to fire another spell. My hands instinctively moved to cover my face but when the blow didn’t come I looked up to find the werewolf on the ground._

_I followed the most likely path of spellwork to find Fenrir at its source; his chest heaving, wand out offensively, robe in tatters, mud and grime smudged over his face._

_“What are you doing out here?” he rushed out furiously, moving toward me quickly, his frustration clearly written across his face._

_“I…I was worried….you hadn’t come back to the common room…and…”_

_“So you came out here to try and get the attention of something that could kill you,” he responded sarcastically, moving to stand by my side, his glare moving from the downed and bleeding animal to me._

_“I came to find you,” I replied indignantly, “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”_

_“But look at who’s protecting who,” he replied, causing me to cross my arms and look away from him in frustration, my eyes settling on the unmoving wolf. “We should go,” he finally stated, regaining my attention, my arms falling back to my sides._

_“We should, yes,” I agreed holding up my wand in my palm again. “Point me.” He stared at me in disbelief but I ignored him, it was too important to get out of here to concern myself with showing him spells I found in weird old books in the library in the future._

_“Where did you…” he began before trailing off._

_“It doesn’t matter,” I admonished quickly, waving my hand in his direction dismissively, “We need to go.” I set off toward west again, and he rushed to catch up, walking in step beside me as we moved toward the castle._

_I could just see the castle between the trees and my pulse began to tame itself; we’d made it, we were going to be fine. Maybe it was me being in the woods that saved Fenrir from the werewolf. Maybe he’d never be a werewolf. Maybe I’d changed everything. Suddenly my pulse picked up again; if Fenrir never became a werewolf then he’d never bite Professor Lupin and the Marauders would never become unregistered Animagi to keep him company. Which means Sirius would never be able to escape Azkaban. But, if they weren’t Animagi then Peter wouldn’t have been able to escape after killing the muggles…with so much changing, perhaps Harry’s parents wouldn’t have died at all._

_As my mind reeled with the possible things I’d just changed, I had neglected to notice the rustling behind us and realized much too late that whatever Fenrir had shot at the werewolf had not killed it._

_He’d hit the ground before I could do anything and I turned to spot the huge figure of the wolf looming over the Gryffindor boy as it growled and snarled over him.   He screamed in agony as the beast sunk its teeth into the right side of his neck._

_I screamed and watched as the creature released its hold of him and raised its snout to eye me, blood and tendons hanging from its canines._

_I raised my wand completely subconsciously and shouted, “Expelliarmus!” though it did nothing, only causing the wolf to growl at me in fury._

_I went to cover my face to shield myself from the impending blow but it never came, a voice replacing it with,_

_"You must go. They are not able to cross the boundary of the Forbidden Forest and will do no more harm once you are away from its young." I looked up to see a centaur, standing strong and proud, the wolf cowering before it._

_Now that the werewolf was no longer a threat, I moved to Fenrir and cast a hovering charm on him, hurrying to the lawn of Hogwarts before settling him gently on the snow. His blood immediately staining the snow a deep red. I quickly cast a warming charm on him and dropped down to my knees, looking at the damage. It was bad; really, really bad. He looked up at me and winced as the movement of his neck was almost nearly impossible. “Barely a scratch,” I said, attempting not to cry as I watched him grimace._

_“Just as I thought,” he replied with a laugh before chocking, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, nose, and ears._

_“You’ll be fine,” I stated quickly, adjusting myself as I leaned over him and muttered one of Professor Snape’s old spells…new spells that wasn't made for this but would hopefully do something to help, “Vulnera Sanentur.” I watched as it slowly patched him back together but it wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped. It wasn’t going to fix it._

_“If I make it out of this, you’re going to have to tell me where you learned all these spells,” he replied, his voice sounding more lighthearted than the situation called for._

_“Hush,” I grumbled annoyed, looking up to the castle once I realized that this was more than I could handle on my own, “Expecto Patronum.”_

_My otter twirled and spun around me once before settling at eye level as I instructed it, “I need you to go to Professor Dumbledore, tell him that there’s been a werewolf attack down on the lawn by the Forbidden Forest. It’s deep and the he’s going to need to go to St. Mungos,” I looked down at Fenrir again before realizing that my Patronus was still idling beside me, “Go!” It flew quickly toward the castle and I watched it disappear into one of the windows when I suddenly felt a hand grab mine._

_“Thanks,” he said, forcing me to look down at him sadly. I wondered when I stopped seeing the maniac that had brutally attacked Professor Lupin over something his father had done, when I no longer saw the snatcher who had forced us to go to Malfoy Manor for torture, when I no longer saw a killer, but a fellow 7 th year. I felt more tears and I nodded to him dumbly. _

_We sat there for a few minutes before I heard footsteps running toward us and looked up to see Madam Treyhart, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Dippet moving swiftly toward us all still in their night clothes._

_“They’re here,” I told him gently and he nodded. I was sure he could hear their footsteps crunching in the snow as well as I could. When they finally got close enough, I released his hand and took a step back, allowing them to observe him with me out of the way. Now that I was standing I could see how much blood he was really loosing as the red colored snow was spreading out wider._

_They quickly came to the same conclusion I had already, he needed treatment at St. Mungos. Treyhart levitated him toward the Entrance Hall for transport, his blood dripping from the body to leave a bloody path in its wake on the snow, while Professor Dumbledore quickly set up more wards around the forest to prevent the wolf from coming back onto the lawn. I walked alongside Madam Treyhart, my eyes focused on Fenrir._

_They would have to take him on the train as it wasn’t safe to apparate and the floo powder could do further damage to the wound. I frowned annoyed at the thought of taking the train to Mungos. Were we wizards or not? Madam Treyhart instructed for me to go back to the dormitories and get some sleep; and despite my desire to argue, I knew it was useless. I could do very little to help and would obviously not be able to tag along to Mungos. I was just in the way._

_I nodded and went to turn but felt a hand on my arm holding me there; I turned to find Fenrir holding me back with one arm while the other rifled through his trouser pocket. He pulled out some withered and dilapidated plants and forced them into my hand. “I’d like to think it hadn’t all been in vain,” he said rather plainly._

_I realized I was crying again and nodded, curling my fingers around the already crushed plants. “You’d better go, wouldn’t want you to fall asleep in your porridge in the morning,” he joked. I smiled sadly and nodded again as he released me._

_“He’ll be fine dear, he’ll be back here in no time,” Madam Treyhart added._

_“Thanks,” I replied, turning away and moving to the Entrance hall door when I suddenly heard muffled talking from around the corner. I couldn’t see them and they couldn’t see me but I could definitely recognize their voices, Dumbledore and Dippet._

_“It really is a shame,” Dippet sighed, “He was such a nice lad. He went too much with whims and impulse but he really was a nice lad.”_

_“We can’t allow him back now,” Dumbledore replied, Dippet replying with an,_

_“I know.”_

_“The board of governors would have our heads,” Dumbledore added, “Allowing 'half-breeds' and 'beasts' into the school. They’d say he was a danger to the rest of the students.”_

_“I know,” Dippet grumbled, “You’re not telling my anything I didn’t already know Albus. I know he won’t be allowed back, but that doesn’t make it any less of a shame.” Dippet sighed heavily, “I’ll have the house-elves gather his things to transport home, as well as owl his parents. We better head back inside; it seems I’ll be having a long night.”_

_I heard footsteps and quickly darted inside the castle, hiding under the marble staircase, and heaving a sigh of relief as their footsteps came and went._

_They were going to expel him, he didn’t do anything wrong. I should’ve known they would, they only let Lupin come to Hogwarts because they were able to hide his Lycanthropy, it would be impossible to hide Greyback’s, especially after everything that’s happened._

_Just a few hours ago he was laughing and stealing tarts and talking about potions class and now he was badly hurt and expelled and a bloody werewolf. This wasn’t fair. He was good…he was a good person. Would he be like he was in my time, or had me being here helped him; changed things? But I didn’t talk to him all that much, how could my involvement made him_ not _an insane killer. It wouldn’t be possible. However, the thought that the boy I’d just seen being the Fenrir Greyback I knew and hated just seemed impossible. But this was a world of magic…nothing was impossible._

_On that thought, I stood to walk back to Gryffindor tower and finally broke down, allowing myself the heart wrenching cry I needed as I went._

* * *

_I sighed, this had been a long walk for rounds. It felt longer than usual even though I knew that it wasn't. Probably because I was walking with Ansley Nott and while she was typically one of the more lucid and able minded of the Slytherin 7th year girls, today seemed to be a day in which I was destined for that not to be the case._

_"So when was this contract determined?" she asked curiously as we turned yet another corner and I sighed._

_"Ms. Nott," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration, "I've told you that it was determined when Ms. Macmillan stood in the Great Hall and informed all of you."_

_"Yes," she nodded in agreement. Good we were finally getting somewhere, "But when was it DECIDED?" I was going to Avada myself. I really was._

_"My parents decided. It was not a joint decision."_

_"Myone doesn't seem particularly thrilled."_

_"I'd imagine that one whose choices are made for them_ _, wouldn't be," I answered with a roll of my eyes and a lifted brow._

_"Oh," she sputtered out, obviously agreeing, "I hadn't really thought of that."_

_"Clearly," I replied through a thick sigh._

_"So are you excited then?" she asked and I groaned, I'd thought this conversation was over._

_"I don..." I began before she shushed me and raised her wand, casting a lumos over the area and moving quietly forward._

_"What are you...?”_

_"Shhh," she hushed out again, "Do you hear that?"_

_"You’re shushing? Yes, it’s incredibly annoying."_

_"No," she glared, "That noise, it sounds like someone crying."_

_I paused and listened a bit closer, it did indeed sound like muffled sobbing as well as labored breathing. As quietly as I could and with Nott behind me, I led the way toward the source of the sound, stopping short when I spotted Myone. Her back was against the masonry wall and it seemed as though she was literally using it to support her; her body wracking with sobs as she cried and as Nott let out a gasp and raised her wand a bit higher, I noticed that Macmillan was covered in blood._

_"Myone," I shouted out, running toward her quickly. It seemed as though my voice triggered something in her and she sank to the ground, leaving a trail of half dried blood along the wall in her wake. Was this her blood? Who did this, I'd kill them with my bare hands for touching what was mine._

_"Myone...Myone are you alright."_

_"So much blood, Malfoy," she began, turning toward me as she held up her hands in front of her face, "Draco. There's just so much blood." Draco? That was the name Tom had wanted me to research, Draco Malfoy. She must be having some sort of fit; she looked so lost and frightened. "So many people are dead because of this damn war. He's killed so many, why...why would you follow him? I...I don't understand? He's killed Professor Snape. He just killed him. He's down in the shrieking shack, we just had to leave him there; so much blood."_

_Snape? Who was that? He was dead? And what was a shrieking shack?_

_"I...I know he was your godfather," she whimpered out, "I-I thought maybe you'd like to give him a proper burial...despite everything." She was crying heavily again and without thinking I moved to pull her toward me, letting her bury her face into my chest. She seemed to push away for a moment before giving in and clenching her fists into my robes, holding tight._

_I knew with how she was behaving that the blood wasn't hers and despite her having some sort of regression to some experience in her past, it was obvious that something had happened tonight but I couldn't find myself to care. SHE was safe, others be damned. The moment I'd seen her covered in blood, my heart had dropped to my stomach and I thought of nothing else other than of securing her safety. I had never thought of someone else like that before. Was she that important to me already that I dropped everything for her? I certainly didn't love her; but did I care about her? Apparently so. Enough that I didn't want Tom to know about what was happening right now. I didn't think it would bode well for her to have him know. He only wanted me to marry her because she was suspicious and I realized that I wanted to marry her, not for Tom but for me;_ I _wanted her as my wife._

_She leaned back and I released her, letting her look at me, "Harry's gone down to fight him. I'm afraid he won't make it back alive."_

_"You know Harry," I replied flippantly, trying to think of something to say, "He'll get himself out of this."_

_"Since when do you call him Harry?" she replied, quirking her brow with a dry laugh, "I thought it was always Potter or Potthead or St. Potter or the Boy-who-lived-too-long or...wait...you’re not Draco...you’re not...Abraxas_ _?"_

_"Myone?" I questioned wondering if she was finally coming out of it._

_"Oh Brax," she spouted, wrapping her arms up and over my shoulders as she held on tight, "It’s horrible, just horrible."_

_"What's wrong Myone?" I asked with surprising concern in my voice, "Are you hurt?"_

_"No," she replied, shaking her head and rubbing that bushy hair full of blood across my cheek, "It was Fen."_

_"Who?"_

_"Greyback," she added, hugging me tighter around the neck, "He went out to the forest for ingredients and when he didn't come back I went looking for him."_

_"Foolish Gryffindors," I huffed. I decided not to mention the Professor Snape, Harry, or Draco that she had brought up. That was something I needed to research on my own._

_"He was attacked by a werewolf," she shuddered, and I hugged her closer to me, "His blood was everywhere." Her tears were wetting my uniform as the blood died across it._

_"It'll be alright," I told her, knowing full well that it wouldn't be. If that idiot was out and attacked by a werewolf he was done for now; not that I could be terribly upset, allowing Myone to be out there where a werewolf was, he deserved what happened to him._

_She pulled away from me and stared me in the eye as she pushed and pulled on my robes, "You can't say anything Braxas. Promise me. Promise."_

_"Alright," I nodded before turning and looking behind me at the pale Nott girl with wide eyes that nodded toward me in agreement. I'd forgotten that she was there when Myone was having her fit but now it was coming back to me and I needed to protect my intended as I was going to make sure that this bloody chit was my wife even if she_ was _slightly mad._


	28. Poor Greyback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News of Greyback's attack has become public knowledge but not everyone is sympathetic.

**Last Time**

_"Alright," I nodded before turning and looking behind me at the pale Nott girl with wide eyes that nodded toward me in agreement.  I'd forgotten that she was there when Myone was having her fit but now it was coming back to me and I needed to protect my intended as I was going to make sure that this bloody chit was my wife even if she_ was _slightly mad._

* * *

_"Knot,” a voice stated close by, but feeling farther, “Knot.”_

_“What?” I asked groggily, feeling a bit confused, “What’s knotted?”_

_“Nothing.  Just lay back,” the voice said, addressing me.  He came into focus as he used his arms to force me to lean against the wall; Abraxas._

_“Knot,” he said again, and I struggled to see what he was focusing his attention on.  It was a frightened girl in a Slytherin uniform standing a few feet away.  She looked rather thin and frail, in a dainty sort of way, with long blonde locks that had a light beachy wave; one that I had envied when I was younger before giving it up as hopeless.  After a moment I was able to recognize her, Ansley Nott, one of Alessandra’s friends._

_“What?” she hissed, pulling her fingernail from between her teeth where she had biting it due to nerves._

_“I need you to take her to get cleaned up before she goes back to Gryffindor,” Abraxas told her in a voice that left no room for discussion, “Do you understand?”_

_She furrowed her brows as though she wanted to argue with him but sighed instead.  “Yes,” she nodded, forcing her arms to her sides as she tried to stop her shaking._

_Abraxas moved to touch my arm but I couldn’t stop the instinctual flinch away.  “Sorry,” he answered sheepishly, drawing back, before trying again.  I forced myself to stay calm this time._

_“This is Ansley Nott,” he said in a very monotonous voice as though I was a frightened rabbit, “She’s a prefect and will be taking you to the prefect’s bath to help get you cleaned up before escorting you to the Tower.  Alright?”_

_Rather than argue that could see myself there, I instead simply nodded and he smiled, something that oddly made me feel slightly comforted.  I wasn’t sure why, a Malfoy smiling at me should have made me immensely uncomfortable but suddenly, in that moment, I felt safe; and that was enough._

_After ensuring that I got to be standing all right, Abraxas turned to Ansley and pulled her to the side; speaking to her in hushed tones, the girl nodding vigorously in response._

_“Now I’ll see you in the morning Myone, yeah,” Abraxas said, moving his head about until I was looking him in the eye._

_“Yeah, in the morning,” I nodded.  Satisfied, he smiled before turning and nodding to Ansley and heading off toward the Slytherin dormitories._

_“Um,” Ansley muttered nervously, “We’d better get going.  Wards come down soon.”  I nodded in agreement, and moved away from the wall, looking back to see the up and down smears of blood and grimaced._

_“I’ve got it,” she replied, casting scourgify and ensuring her quality of work before making her way down the corridor.  I followed along, attempting to keep pace._

_I took a few shuddering breaths, recalling the blood on the wall and where it had originated, before remembering that Fenrir was at St. Mungos and that the healers would ensure that he was alright, even if he wasn’t able to come back to Hogwarts.  There wasn’t much I could do anyway.  Besides, this was nothing like the carnage of the Battle of Hogwarts.  If I was able to make it out of that, I could make it out of this._

_Deciding that the silence was only making things worse I said, “So; do you know Abraxas well?”_

_“No,” she replied tersely, “We’re partners for rounds, but otherwise we keep to our own social circles.”_

_“I’ve seen you in a few of my classes,” I mentioned, trying to keep the conversation going, “You’re in my Traditionals and my Advanced Arithmancy classes.”_

_“I am, yes.”  I rolled my eyes half-heartedly, she was absolutely no help in keeping this conversation going._

_“Isn’t Madam Black awful,” I said with a light laugh, that quickly turned awkward when she didn’t join in._

_“She’s actually quite nice when compared to my mother,” the girl beside me replied and we immediately fell back into uncomfortable silence again.  I turned to give the girl a hard look.  My friend had just been attacked, I didn’t want to laugh, I was trying to be nice, the bint._

_“Do you not like me?  Are you one of those girls in love with Malfoy or something?” I asked unable to stop myself._

_“What?” she replied, coming to a stop and staring at me full on, “I would rather eat slugs.  I’m upset because I don’t appreciate being threatened.”_

_“Who threatened you?” I asked, eyes wide._

_“Who do you think?” she sneered back, crossing her dainty arms._

_“Abraxas wouldn’t do that,” I said instantly without thinking, before glancing awkwardly out the corner of my eye.  Why would I say that?  What would make me stick up for a Malfoy?_

_Ansley raised a single eyebrow and scoffed, “Don’t know your intended very well, do you?  You just walk about with blinders on.  I was told that if I didn’t have you properly seen after and in the Tower before Wards, I would have my own seeing after and it wouldn’t be nearly so ‘pleasant’.” She scoffed, “I don’t trust that lot.  Especially Riddle and Malfoy; they’re the worst - and you’re marrying him…what does that say about you?”_

_After saying her piece she began to continue on her way as though nothing had happened and I simply stood in her wake, my eyes wide._

_How had I let myself get like this?  A bloody Slytherin I didn’t even know had to tell me to watch out for Malfoy and ruddy Voldemort.  Since when was I so far gone?  I should already be home but I hadn’t even researched anything since Yule Hols._

_On top of that, if I wasn’t going home, shouldn’t I be trying to stop Voldemort?  If going home was not possible, wouldn’t the best thing to do be to change things, ensure that Harry has his parents, keep everyone from the first War alive?  But I was just going along for the ride?  Taking classes, apparently being married off to ruddy Malfoy. Ansley was right, I am walking around with blinders on._

_“Ansley wait!” I shouted, running down the hall after her and causing her to turn and whisper harshly,_

_“Shh!  If ol’ Pringle hears you, you’ll be strung up by your toes.  What is_ wrong _with you!”_

_“Oh,” I sputtered, coming to a halt, “Sorry.”_

_“Just come along,” she sighed, rolling her eyes, “Quietly.”  She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she quickly turned back in my direction and hissed out, “And I didn’t agree for you to call me Ansley,” before storming off._

_We made it to the Prefects bath without much more chaos and she practically forced me to sit on the side of the large pool-like tub as she began to turn on various taps around the edge.  My feet were dangling just beside a tap spewing something orange that tingled when it made contact with my exposed toes._

_Once the bath was full enough she began to go around the tub again and turn off the selected taps as she said, “All right, in you go clothes and all, they’re so crusted on I doubt you’d get them off anyway.”_

_I was just about to slide in when I heard footsteps and reacted.  I was on my feet wand pointed toward the source when suddenly my wet feet slipped out from under me and I fell onto the slick tiles of the floor._

_“Myone,” a voice spouted as the footsteps were suddenly pounding toward me, “Are you all right?”_

_“What are you doing here Prince?” Ansley asked in bitter confusion._

_“I was splattered with some mysterious substance in the corridor and this was the closest loo.  Besides, I am a prefect.”_

_“That’s right, you are a prefect.  You should have been patrolling and ensuring that whomever was throwing mysterious substances was caught rather than running off in shame.”_

_Eileen looked down dejectedly, and I huffed to her defense, “Well it doesn’t matter anyway, it was probably Peeves.”_

_“Are you alright?” Eileen asked, looking in the direction of my voice and offering me a hand to pull me up, “You seem to be bleeding somewhere…”_

_“It’s not mine,” I replied, trailing off as I glanced at the tiles to see that the water I’d slipped on had mixed with the dried blood on my clothes to turn the water a pinkish color._

_“Sorry,” she replied uncomfortably._

_“You’re wasting time,” Ansley stated with an eye roll, “Get in the tub so we can get you cleaned up. You_ will _be in your dormitory before Wards.”_

_I did indeed get into the tub, leaning against the side at the only area that wasn’t lined with taps so as to not bang my head._

_“And now your majesty?” I replied sarcastically._

_“Well wash yourself, we won’t do it for you,” Ansley huffed, while Eileen just smiled and sat down cross legged at the edge near me._

_Once the clothes were cleaned of blood; I was, indeed, able to remove them easier and began to wash myself not thinking twice until Eileen said, “What is that?”_

_Both girls hadn’t been paying much attention as we made small talk about NEWTs as well as future careers we might like and while both girls made an effort to avoid looking at my undressed body while I bathed, apparently Eileen had caught a glimpse of my arm and in taking notice, also saw the scar that ran down my front._

_I froze, eyes wide as I stared at the two girls who stared right back at me._

_“That says mudblood,” Ansley commented in astonishment, “Did one of them mark you, like signing his name?”_

_“You will say nothing about this,” I said angrily, and despite not having my wand in hand and feeling vulnerably underdressed, I could tell they were frightened of what I could do from the gossip in Dueling._

_“But if there are mudbloods out there attacking witches and sullying them, it should be reported,” Ansley defended, almost shouting at me._

_“It wasn’t a mudblood,” I shouted back, losing steam on the last word and letting my head drop._

_“Myone,” Eileen warned, glancing up at Ansley._

_“And the term is Muggleborn,” I replied only half-heartedly, to which Ansley sighed,_

_“Only a mudblood calls it that.”  She then turned to Eileen, “I assume you must know something.  With the way you looked at me so warily.”  Eileen’s eyes bugged and she looked startled, “It’s rather obvious.  You didn’t seem the slightest bit startled by any of this.”  Suddenly Ansley was casting a drying charm on the floor tiles before taking a seat on the ground, her legs tucked under her daintily so as to maintain her modesty while wearing her skirt.  With both girls so close to my nude self, I slid a few more bubbles toward me._

_“Were you attacked by Grindelwald’s men?” Ansley asked, “I’ve never seen what they do to mud…Muggleborns but that wouldn’t surprise me.” She pointed to my scared arm in emphasis._

_“I’m sorry,” I replied flatly, unable to take it anymore, “You were the girl that cast Accio when Alessandra and the girls cursed me that day after the Quidditch game.  I’ve always run under the assumption that you were rather stupid.”_

_“That’s what I prefer actually,” Ansley replied looking rather proud, “My mother forces me to associate with those idiots and Alessandra insists on being the leader of the group, as her family has the most prestige.  Therefore I have to behave as though I am dimmer than her.  It doesn’t take much because she is so dumb she can’t much tell._

_“Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m in Slytherin; I’m all about furthering my own agenda and I know that women are supposed to be attractive and heir-bearing, but not career-driven or incredibly intelligent; I let people see what they want to see…especially my mother.”_

_After that we seemed to converse much more freely.  We hadn’t even realized the time until Ansley did a quick check and realized that wards were coming down in ten minutes.  I frantically got dressed as Eileen and Ansley threw clothing articles at me.  Once we left the Prefect’s bath we decided to part ways and go to our own dormitories._

_Eileen and Ansley had turned and made it a few steps when I pulled my wand and began to cast a silent obliviate before it was astonishingly blocked._

_“Sorry, but I don’t get hit in the back with spells,” Ansley commented, “And don’t worry, I won’t say anything to damage your contract.  What you see in Malfoy is anyone’s guess, but I won’t let it be ruined.  We all have our ambitions; besides it seems that we both have something on one another...your secret is safe."  She gave me a wink before she turned back and continued on, Eileen waving once before following along._

_It’d made it to the fifth floor and was headed down the corridor when I suddenly halted to a stop as I’d heard voices, “Intentus, you will see me tomorrow!”_

_“The numbers foresee that?” the man I now realized was Professor Vostic asked curiously with a half-smile._

_“Don’t make snide comments about my passions,” Professor Videns, the Arithmancy teacher scoffed._

_“What about you’re other passions,” Professor Vostic grinned, pulling her in tight to him and she seemed to swoon at the action._

_“You are vile Tentus,” she scoffed, “I have Wards to place on my Ravenclaws, off you go.”  He kissed her passionately, making her moan before releasing her and walking purposefully down the hall._

_I sighed, relieved that I hadn’t gone by a few minutes sooner and been caught.  The rest of the way to the seventh floor, I couldn’t get the thought of them out of my mind; I’d never suspected the Head of Ravenclaw was with the Dueling professor._

_Once on the seventh floor, I was only one turn away from being home free when I collided with something and landed on my arse.   I was doing that a lot this evening.  Glancing up I spotted Professor Vostic eying me shrewdly,_ _“It would be in your best interest to be in your common room when Dumbledore casts the Roll Call Wards.  I believe that he is still occupied elsewhere so they’ll be a bit later than the rest so you have time…for now.   None the less you best be awake in my class tomorrow.  I will not have you sleeping during a duel.”_

_I nodded and quickly stood (he didn’t offer me assistance) before taking off the rest of the way.  I couldn’t believe that the man hadn’t given me detention or at least reprimanded me.  Perhaps he’d had too much enjoyment with Professor Videns and was in a good mood…who could say for sure.  All I knew was that I was thankful._

_I ended up making it to the Fat Lady only three minutes late.  It seemed though that Vostic’s information was sound, the commotion with Greyback caused Dumbledore to delay in casting the roll call wards.  I was safe._

* * *

_I woke up the next morning to find Ryland staring down at me, eying me in a way that was making me distinctly uncomfortable._

_“Can I help you?” I asked sarcastically._

_“I don’t think the others noticed,” Ryland mentioned, shoving my blanket covered legs over so he could sit on the bed as I huffed, “But your uniform from last night is covered in blood.”_

_“Alright mother; your point being…?”_

_“Well what happened of course,” Ryland scoffed, “Don’t be a prat.”_

_“I’d rather-”_

_“I don’t care what you’d rather, what the bloody hell happened?”_

_“Myone was in the woods last night,” I began, heaving a heavy sigh and plopping down onto the pillow._

_“She’s dead?!” Ryland shouted in shock, jumping up from the bed, his hands cradling his head in disbelief._

_“No,” I huffed, “She’s not dead.”_

_“Well, what the hell happened then?”_

_“Greyback.  He’s gone.”_

_“He’s dead?”_

_“He’s not dead.  What is your obsession with someone being dead?”_

_“Well…I just…I don’t know.”  There was muttering of, “If you’d tell me I wouldn’t assume someone was dead.”_

_I rolled my eyes at the idiot, “Greyback was attacked by a werewolf last night; Myone was there.  She was covered in his blood.  That blood got on me.  Is that good enough for you?”_

_“Wait, are you pulling my chain?” Ryland asked, his eyes wide._

_“Of course not,” I huffed, sitting up and throwing my legs over the bed before standing and moving about the room to get my things together for a much needed shower, “Although to be honest I can’t say for sure that he isn’t dead.”_

_“Wait…what?”_

_“Where are Riddle and Black?”_

_“Riddle said he had to go to the library for research or something and I don’t know where Black is.  He was gone when I woke up this morning.”_

_“Mmm,” I acknowledged, “Will you be here when I get back?”_

_“If you don’t dally about,” Ryland sighed, “I would like to eat something today.  I’d also like to know more about Greyback’s possible death.”_

_After my shower, Ryland and I made our way into the Great Hall and found seats, but despite his best effort to get my attention, I was focused on finding Myone amongst the Gryffindors two tables away._

_“She’s not there,” a voice said and I looked up to find Myone’s friend Eileen Prince who made the presumptuous decision of sitting beside me a buttering a slice of toast._

_“Where is she then?” I asked and the girl smiled shyly._

_“Right there,” Eileen replied, pointing toward the large double doors where the girl came in sheepishly and sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, her head down._

_I fought the urge to go to her and instead ate the food on my plate quickly, so I could head to class.  As time went on however and the hall began to fill with hungry students and teachers, the staff table seemed to shift in an uncomfortable way._

_Finally, Headmaster Dippet stood and cast a sonorus charm, clearing his throat loudly._

_“Attention students,” he began, “Last night a student was attacked while in the forbidden forest.  Due to the night in which he had chosen such a venture, he will no longer be able to attend Hogwarts.  I feel that I must reiterate that the rules made are not here for our own amusement but for your safety, and I must insist that no student venture into the forbidden forest for any circumstances.  I am sure you all wish Fenrir Greyback a swift and safe recovery during this time.  Thank you and have a good rest of the day.”_

_As Dippet took a seat I stole a glance at Myone who stared at her eggs in concentration and then turned my attention to Potter and Leach who looked shocked further down the table.  I couldn’t believe they hadn’t known, some friends they were.  I continued to stare at the forlorn Myone until Ryland interrupted my thoughts with,_

_“Well at least now we know he’s not dead.”_

* * *

_I had hurried out of the Great Hall as people began whispering about why Greyback was in the forbidden forest with the werewolves as well as why werewolves were in the forest in the first place.  While there were always rumors of werewolves in the forest in my time it had never been confirmed and there had certainly never been attacks.  Imagine, with the number of times Harry, Ron, and I had wandered about.  Instead I sat in Arithmany, staring blankly at my textbook, wishing that I could focus enough to read it._

_“Looking to see if you and Malfoy are compatible?” a voice asked from my right, startling me._

_“What? No.  Just…thinking I guess.”_

_“Sounds exciting,” Ansley replied, grabbing my beaded bag and proceeding to the front of the classroom._

_“Hey,” I shouted, standing and running after her, “What do you think you’re doing?”_

_“You’re to sit by me now,” she replied, letting the bag land harshly on the tabletop beside her in the front row._

_“What do you mean ‘I am to sit beside you now’,” I responded, my hands on my hips and I glared at her, eying my bag on the desk to her left as I stood in the center aisle to her right._

_“Your loving husband wants me to keep an eye on you.  He told me to sit with you in the classes we share.”_

_“He needs to keep an eye on himself, ruddy prat,” I grumbled and she smirked._

_“Agreed.  But he isn’t someone I’d like to cross so,” she tossed a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of my desk, “grab your books and come on up.”_

_“What about your partner?”_

_“Evelyn Rosier is a mousey little thing,” Ansley replied, brushing it off, “She’ll find a new place to sit.”  Rolling my eyes at Ansley’s statement regarding another Slytherin, I grabbed my books off my desk two behind her and moved them to the desk on her left as Professor Videns made her way into the room._

_“Oh,” the Professor startled, “I hadn’t realized that anyone would be here yet.”_

_“Sorry,” I mumbled out, “After last night I didn’t want to linger in the Great Hall.”_

_“Oh, that’s quite all right dear,” Professor Videns replied, her eyes soft as she pulled me a bit further from Ansley, “And I also wanted to thank you for your discretion.”  Her voice was rather hushed as but I knew what she was referring to._

_“It was no problem,” I replied, brushing it off, “Honestly, it was none of my business and it was the last thing on my mind anyhow.  It’s forgotten.”_

_“None the less if you even need anything, Tentus and I are in your debt.” I nodded and she seemed satisfied, shooing me off to my new seat in the front._

_“What was that all about?” Ansley asked curiously._

_“Nothing,” I replied, shaking my head.  Rather than argue, Ansley simply nodded and went back to her Arithmancy text._

_The room quickly began to fill up and after approaching her usual seat, Evelyn Rosier did indeed simply move to my old seat, she hadn’t even said a word to dispute it.  Poor thing._

* * *

_When I walked into Alchemy, many of the students were already inside and I took my seat beside Lyall.  He looked at me curiously but said nothing, though Caspar tapped me on the back and forced me to turn around and eye him._

_“Ms. Macmillan, you’re friends with Greyback aren’t you?”_

_“What?” I asked back in confusion.  I did not want to start in about this._

_“Greyback,” Caspar Crouch repeated, “You heard that he’d been attacked, hadn’t you?”_

_I glanced down and took a deep breath, “Yes.  I was at breakfast this morning.”_

_“I couldn’t believe it when I’d heard,” Caspar continued, “Turns out he’d gone to get potion ingredients.”_

_“Where did you hear that from?” I asked curiously._

_“Vanc,” he replied before correcting himself at my confused look, “Zuvanc Prewitt.  Greyback told him when he left the dorms last night.  Vanc was the first one back from the showers after Quidditch practice and had seen him go.  He’d said that he needed to get them on a full moon.”_

_“But why were there werewolves in the forbidden forest,” Lyall asked in annoyance, “I get that it’s forbidden and there are all types of things roaming about in there but that doesn’t excuse the fact that they are allowing a class five creature to meander about, they may as well have Dragons bumbling around.”_

_“Well he’s not allowed back,” Tyce mentioned casually from Lyall’s other side, “I can’t help but feel bad for the bloke.”_

_“Feel bad for him?” Lyall scoffed, “Are you kidding?  He willingly went into the forbidden forest on the full moon knowing of his chances.  I’m just thankful that he isn’t allowed back.  Can you imagine?  We’d all be at risk.”_

_“What?” I asked in disbelief, my brows furrowed in shock._

_“Well we would,” Lyall responded with a shrug, “Werewolves are monsters.  They kill indiscriminately and they have no morals.  They are no better than mindless beasts.  That was why Greyback wasn’t allowed back.”_

_“How dare you!” I screamed, standing and glaring down at him.  I could hear the static in my hair but gave it no mind.  How could Remus’ father say such a thing?  To talk of werewolves as though they were less than human._

_“In case you aren’t aware, this time yesterday he was your classmate.  He wasn’t a mindless killer then and he isn’t a mindless killer now.  Being attacked by a werewolf doesn’t change your entire brain.  It affects you one day out of the month but for some reason people seem to think that one day is enough to condemn someone.”_

_“If someone decides that once a month they’d like to go and kill people, it still makes them killers.”_

_“It isn’t their choice!” I screamed out angrily, my hands in fists at my side.  I noticed that Tom was staring at me, turned in his chair but I ignored him._

_“They are still the ones that did it,” Lyall countered now standing and crinkling his nose at me._

_“So if someone is imperused and kills someone then they should be tried, is that it,” I argued furiously._

_“That isn’t the same,” Lyall argued, “Someone is forcing them then, the werewolf is part of them.  They are one being.  It's not as simple as breaking a curse to end it.”_

_“They have no more controls over their actions on the full moon than someone under the imperus curse,” I bellowed furiously pounding my fists on the table in anger._

_“Now isn’t this a heated debate,” a voice called from the back of the room.  We all turned to spot Professor Flamel with a wide grin making his way to the front of the class, “Perhaps we should be implementing some sort of Wizarding Law class within Hogwarts, it would appear that you lot would benefit greatly.  However that is not this class.  This is alchemy and today we will be doing a bit of dueling- didn’t expect that did you?  Everyone has partners to practice with, I’ve already chosen and they are on the board.”_

_As he stated this, the chalk began to move about on the board to show the groups he’d paired._

_Amethyst Burke (Water) – Mikel Koffker (Air)_

_Tom Riddle (Fire) – Lyall Lupin (Earth)_

_Tempest Montagu (Earth) – Caspar Crouch (Water)_

_Tyce Leroux (Air) – Myone Macmillan (Earth)_

_All the students around me stood and began to move about, Tyce calling out to me, “Oui, over here yeah.”  I nodded and began to move in that direction when I felt a hand on my shoulder holding me back.  I turned and spotted Tom, one brow raised as he smiled a smile that made me more than a little uncomfortable._

_“I’ll take care of Lyall for you,” he said, before quickly walking away, keeping me from responding._

_I froze, my eyes wide and fearful.  What happened, what did I just do?  Tom hated Greyback so why in the bloody hell would he defend him unless he was simply defending me.  To be honest, I think that scared me even more.  Where was Harry when I needed him?  I needed sound advice, desperately._

_“Are you coming or what?” Tyce shouted from the corner he’d chosen by the windows.  Of course he did, the prat.  What air affinity wouldn’t choose something near the windows on a windy day like today?  Heaving a heavy sigh, I made my way toward the corner wishing more than ever I was home._

* * *

_I was picking at my lunch when Charlus and Nobbs came to sit beside me.  I’d been contemplating what had happened in Alchemy.  Tom had indeed kept his word and had cast such an intense spell that the flames ate through Lyall’s defensive vines and burned his arm viciously.  He was now in the Hospital Wing and would be until tomorrow while they regrew muscle tissue and skin.  I couldn’t believe what had happened and especially that it was my fault._

_Of course no one had blamed Tom as he had gone under the guise of innocence and claimed that he hadn’t realized how much power he had put into his spell.  Professor Flamel had given him a detention that was going to be used to help focus his powers a bit more to ensure that this didn’t happen again.  But I knew that this_ would _happen again; again and again and again._

_“I’ve stopped by the infirmary this morning, got some information about Fen,” Charlus stated, pulling me from my thoughts._

_“From your girlfriend?” Nobbs questioned blankly._

_“Not my girlfriend but yes, Dorea Black,” Charlus replied, raising one brow and scoffing at his friend, “She said that he was attacked in the woods while getting potions ingredients.  That the forbidden forest is sometimes used as a sanctuary for Werewolves since it is owned by Hogwarts and no one is allowed on the land.”_

_“Why would the werewolves need a sanctuary?” I asked curiously._

_“Werewolves are considered class five beings but they aren’t protected,” Nobbs shrugged, “There are quite a few people that actually hunt werewolves.  There are even sections of the ministry that offer rewards for werewolf hides.”_

_That’s terrible!”_

_“Now, they have to prove that they killed the werewolf in self-defense but I’ve never heard of a werewolf not attacking someone once they catch their scent so their self-defense case is in the bag,” Charlus continued, “Anyway, apparently two wolves mated on the full moon and had a litter just a few months ago.”_

_“A wolf gestation period is between 62 and 75 days while a human gestation is 280 days.  There’s a big difference,” I informed them, my arms crossed._

_“Well I don’t know how werewolf reproduction works.  All I know is what Dorea told me.”_

_“Dorea, ahh,”Norbert smirked with a wink._

_“Oh shut up you prat,” Charlus huffed, “She said that two werewolves mated on a full moon, they had a litter.  They are full wolf but highly intelligent and they are being raised in the forbidden forest as it’s the safest place for them.  Apparently the mother felt threatened by Greyback being too close to her cubs and attacked him.”_

_I thought about what the centaur had told me in the woods, it made sense.  Though the idea of two werewolves mating on a full moon left more questions than answers.  Would the female werewolf remain in wolf form for the duration of the pregnancy or would she carry wolf babies in her human form?  Would the gestation be human time or wolf?  How did the child survive the transformation with bones moving and shifting couldn’t it injure or kill the fetus?  So many questions that made this seem so unlikely and yet it had happened.  I would love to have spoken with the woman though she was apparently more concerned with ripping sections out of my friend’s neck._

_“Dorea said something about us being able to see him tonight,” Charlus said, grabbing my attention._

_“What?” I asked startled._

_“Yeah,” he smirked, “Apparently Dippet is going to let us floo over to Mungos to see him.  He’s stable enough and his parents have already been by so they thought we should be allowed to see him before they release him.  Don’t tell anyone though.”_

_“What about Quidditch?” Nobbs asked raising a brow.  Despite where their conversation was going, I couldn’t stop a smile from crossing my lips, moving my soup to my mouth.  He was going to be discharged soon; he was going to be alright._

_“What about Quidditch,” Charlus replied with a shrug, his smirk wide as he replied to the Captain of the team._

_“Prat,” Nobbs huffed, lobbing a wad of mash at the boy and earning a laugh from both._

* * *

_“Are you alright?” Alphard asked curiously from beside me.  I was sitting in Dueling Defense and Professor Vostic was in the front of the room organizing his books with his back to the room.  All of the students were in the room.  The seat behind me, typically occupied by Fen was empty as was the seat beside Brax that had once been occupied by Nikolai Roverts._

_“I’m alright,” I nodded, flipping through the text book, ‘Practicalities of Dueling.’_

_“I hear talking,” Professor Vostic huffed, spinning on the heels of his feet, “Alright ladies.  Today we will be dueling.”  I heard cheers around the room and watched Professor Vostic roll his eyes as he leaned against his desk. “If I wanted to hear you tither about I’d go sit in Traditionals.  I’ll be pairing you up and just so you are all aware; anything goes.  I have cleared the two unforgivables with the ministry for the period so you can adjust to it feel of casting them and having them cast upon you; but be aware there will be no killing in this class.”  My eyes went wide, he cleared unforgivables; the cruciatus and imperius.  What in the world was he thinking?_

_“I’m choosing the groups today, mixing it up a bit.  Here’s the list: Irving Crouch against your brother; Higgs, Spinnet; Prewitt, Gorovich; Malfoy, Leach; Black, Prince; Vaisey, Parkinson; Potter, Yaxley; Kristoffer, Riddle; Koffker, Leroux; Macmillan, Avery; and Greyback; Flint.”_

_“Greyback’s not here,” a voice called out from the front right corner of the room that seemed to be solely populated by Ravenclaws._

_“So he’s not,” Vostic replied, heaving a sigh, “Flint, choose another group.”_

_“I wanna stick with Avery,” Flint replied, a smirk in his voice.  Vostic simply rolled his eyes, “Do whatever you want, you idiot.”  There was a pause as everyone whispered until he put a stop to it, “What are you all waiting for, into your groups.”_

_I stood quickly, not forgetting that I was now in a three person group with the most savage two boys in the class.  They were, of course, the two boys that had their rats tear each other apart.  Leaving my books on my desk, I took a deep breath to calm my heart and walked down the aisle to the front of the room where the two idiots stood, grinning at one another widely._

_I’d made it halfway down the aisle when a hand gripped my upper arm and forced me to stop my walk.  I spun around to find Abraxas, eying me before alternating to eye the two at the front of the room._

_“Be careful,” he warned, his eyes strangely wide, his voice laced with what I could only discern as concern, “Those two are unpredictable at the best of times and dangerous at the worst.”_

_“I’ll be careful,” I replied, unable to think of anything better to say.  He nodded and released my arm moving away to join his own group as I went forward to Flint and Avery.  They were laughing with each other, and both turned toward me, smiling widely._

_“Ahh, Ms. Macmillan, lovely to see you,” Desmond Avery grinned._

_“Or is it Mrs. Malfoy,” Leon Flint added with a smirk of his own._

_“Macmillan is just fine,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms._

_Avery barked out a laugh before ignoring me to turn to Flint, “Isn’t it too bad about Greyback though?”_

_“I know, just my luck he goes and gets himself attacked before I get to have a go at him, unforgiveables cleared and everything.”_

_“We did luck out though,” Avery grinned, “Seeing as it was us that made him go and get it.”_

_“What?” I gasped out in confusion, unable to hold my tongue despite knowing that they were goading me._

_“Didn’t you draw him that crude map of where to get the fluxweed,” Flint grinned, twirling his wand between his fingers, and deliberately ignoring me._

_“I wasn’t going to stand for what he’d said about my father,” Avery scoffed, “Just because he’s some filthy half-blood beggar who can’t afford his quarter of the potion ingredients he dares to insult me regarding how I acquire mine?  I say he got exactly what he deserved.”_

_“How dare you,” I snarled furiously, my ward pointed threateningly at Avery’s throat.  The boy tensed, and his back arched as he tried to move his neck farther away from the wand’s tip.  Flint simply took in the scene with a smirk but didn’t seem to move to help his friend.  They’d both seen what I was able to do with a wand in this class before._

_I did a careful glance around the room and noted that no one had noticed our argument as all the other groups had begun their duels._

_“How dare you speak of him like that,” I hissed furiously, my nose crinkling in fury._

_“He’s an animal now,” Avery snarled, letting the wands tip jab into his neck as he came in closer to me, his breath on my face, forcing me to smell his lunch, “I’ll do the world a favor and hunt him myself.  ‘Self-defense’ I’ll say, ‘He attacked me’ I’ll say.  And then they’ll reward me for finishing what I started.”  He was smiling widely, his eyes sparkling with a dangerous glint as he leaned in so close I was suddenly nervous that he was going to kiss me; why, I can’t tell you._

_My heart was beating so furiously that I began to grow dizzy, and in a fit of rage my wand arm fell to my side and I did something I haven’t done since third year, I flung my left arm around and slapped him across the face,_

_His head whipped to the side and both the two boys as well as my own eyes widened as I felt my hand sting._

_“You bitch,” Avery snarled in fury, his eyes narrowed.  My eyes couldn’t help but dart to his reddened cheek that actually held the details of my hand, as he and Flint began to advance on me, “I’m going to enjoy this.  Crucio!”_

_I hit the ground quickly, just barely missing the spell and rolling under the table that the two boys used as a desk before hitting the two tucked in chairs and hearing them scrape against the floor.  I had my wand tucked in tight to my chest between my breasts to keep it from snapping when I’d hit the ground and my elbow was still throbbing from where it had hit._

_Quickly I shoved the chairs out of the way to make my way out the other side but they’d heard my intended route and cut me off, Flint grabbing one ankle and pulling me from the short side of the table into the aisle.  Still on my stomach I was unable to do anything; my skirt was twisted up and around my waist and I was thankful to at least be wearing thick black cotton tights to cover my knickers._

_I quickly rotated myself despite his grasp, landing on my back to see Flint eyeing me in a way that was making me distinctly uncomfortable.  As suddenly as I could I flung my wand to point it at the boy and shouted, “Expelliarmus!”_

_Flint was blasted away and struck the far wall between two windows.  It was rather lucky that he hadn’t hit either window itself.  Suddenly Avery was atop me, wand seemingly forgotten as he grasped my neck with one large hand and squeezed, tightly pressing my head and neck into the floor.  He placed his own wand into his mouth to free his hand and used it to rip my wand away from my own, throwing it across the aisle way, gripping his own wand once more._

_In a fit of desperation I began to claw at him, lifting my legs in desperation as he sat heavily on my hips and lower waist._

_“Not so tough now are you?” he questioned snidely as I gasped for breath, my clawing now beginning to draw blood from his cheeks where I’d dug deep enough.   He forced his wand into my neck in retaliation, though I couldn’t feel much as my face was going numb from his tight hold._

_“Kill me if you’re going to,” I gasped out weakly, taking several breaths between bursts of words._

_“Gladly,” he hissed furiously, “Ava-”_

_“Crucio!” a voice shouted, and suddenly the weight of Avery was gone as he was suddenly on the floor beside me, screaming in agony.  Despite my desire to do something, all I could manage was to lay there on the floor and cough weakly as I feebly batted at my scrunched up skirt to cover myself._

_Suddenly there was another hand on my skirt and I tensed before I realized that they too were attempting to cover me.  I lolled my head about trying to see and spotted Brax, smoothing my skirt to cover me before moving a hand behind my head and assisting me in sitting up.  The movement simply caused me to cough more and Abraxas grimaced in distaste._

_It was then that I realized that Avery’s screaming had stopped and I managed to croak out the question, “Was it you?”_

_“Don’t talk,” he replied, using a hand to try and smooth out my hair.  I didn’t bother to tell him that it was a rather useless endeavor._

_“Was it you?” I repeated._

_“Was what me?” he sighed.  Probably realizing that I wasn’t going to shut up even if it was in my best interest._

_“The Cruciatus.”_

_“Yes.”  He replied flatly, without apology, “He was hurting you and I was going to stop him.  You are my top priority.  You are to be my wife.  How dare he put his hands on you.”  His voice had gotten softer as he continued, as though a softly boiling rage lay just below the surface at the slightest provocation._

_“I can…take care of myself,” I managed between coughing fits.  Abraxas just raised a brow, saying nothing in response._

_“Well that’s enough for today,” Vostic called from the front of the room, “Everyone back to your chairs.  If anyone needs the Infirmary for lollies and tips regarding their mensies; the door is there.”  At that, people began to return to their seats and those who were out cold were rennervated before being sent back to their chairs._

_“Do you want to go to the infirmary?” Abraxas asked with concern, his hand moving up and down my arm in a comforting fashion._

_“I’m fine,” I replied, shaking my head, “Class isn’t over.”_

_“But-” Abraxas began, only being stopped by Professor Vostic standing over us, his eyes narrowed._

_“You heard what she said,” he huffed, “To your seat Malfoy.”  With an annoyed huff, Malfoy listened, assisting me in standing before walking me to my seat beside Alphard and sharing a knowing glance with him and moving to his own seat._

_“What was that?” I asked Black curiously, once Professor Vositc had turned his back._

_“What was what?”_

_“That,” I repeated, moving a finger back and forth between Malfoy and himself._

_“Don’t know what you’re on about,” Alphard lied easily, shrugging his shoulders.  I sighed and rubbed my neck, I would never understand these Slytherins._

* * *

_Charlus, Norbert, and I arrived through the floo network, brushing the soot from ourselves before glancing around._

_“I hope you lot know where we’re going ‘cus I’ve never been here before,” Nobbs mentioned a bit sheepishly._

_“Well Dorea said he’d be on the first floor, do you think we can just go up there?” Charlus asked curiously._

_“Well we won’t know where to go once we’re up there.  It’s a large floor and he’ll be quarantined due to it being dangerously contagious,” I responded, “Let’s check with the Welcome witch.”  I led the way past the rest of the open floo entrances and further past the main entrance that led out into London._

_Stopping in front the Inquiries desk, I eyed the two witches that were bustling about behind the counter; flipping through index cards and files folders with their magic rather frantically.  One seemed quite a bit older than the other, her greying hair held back in a bun that was covered by her nursing cap and her eyes showing a bit of crow’s feet, from smiling or glaring I wasn’t sure.  The other nurse was young and looked to be recently out of Hogwarts or the like with blonde hair pulled into a bun as well, that must be the dress code._

_“Um excuse me,” I asked, leaning a bit onto the counter._

_“Wha…Oh um hello,” the younger of the two responded, a bit startled, “What can I do for you?”_

_“I was just looking for a patient, he should be in the Dangerous Dai Llewellyn Ward.”_

_“The what-ward?” the woman asked curiously, eyeing her skeptically._

_“The…” I sputtered ridiculously, “The Dangerous Creature Ward.”_

_“Oh well not all the Injuries incurred are from Dangerous Animals.  I’ve seen one come in with a bite from a Kneazle, so you never can tell.”_

_“Um yes, of course,” I replied slightly confused._

_“Another came in from-”_

_“Enough of this, woman,” Nobbs huffed impatiently, pounding his fist onto the countertop and knocking the inkwell onto its side, allowing it to splatter his hand and the sleeve of his robes, “Where is Greyback?”_

_“Just what is going on over here,” the other older witch responded crossly, her eyes definitely having gotten the crow’s feet from glaring rather than from smiling._

_“This boy shouted at me,” the younger girl whined, pointing a wavering finger in his direction._

_“This is the inquiries desk and you are to be a Welcome Witch.  This is not a job to be taken lightly.  You must always retain a calm demeanor in the face of whatever comes through those floos, do you understand?  Muggles could even come through here if they have a magical malady or injury and they will certainly be more confused than a teenage Hogwarts student.  What about people with memory problems, are you going to yell at them as well?_

_“I wasn’t the one yelling, it was them,” she sputtered, attempting to defend herself and instead making herself look pathetic.  The older witch fixed her glare on the younger one and she immediately eeped into silence and sat in one of the chairs behind the counter looking down at the folder in front of her._

_“Now, what can I do for you?” the older witch asked kindly._

_“We’re looking for Fenrir Greyback,” Charlus began, “He was admitted sometime late last night for a werewolf bite.”_

_“Yes, I see that here and how are you related?” she asked curiously._

_“We’re not related, best friends you see,” Nobbs added, “Been inseparable since first year.”_

_“Well I’m afraid that only family can be allowed in on a matter like this,” she replied darkly._

_“How close of family,” I asked, wringing my hands about my cloak as though I was nervous, though in all actuality I was a bit, “I’m a cousin, our Mums are sisters you see.  Would it be…would it be alright if I just peeked in.  We came all the way here.”_

_“Well I suppose that would be alright dear,” the witch replied with a kind look, “It’s on the first floor, room 115A, the lifts are to your right around the corner and it’ll be down the right corridor and on the left-hand side.  But just you are allowed in.  You boys are more than welcome to peruse the gift shop or have a light snack in the tearoom; understood.”_

_“Yes ma’am,” they nodded before we all thanked the woman for her assistance and made our way around the corner to the lift._

_The doors to the lift had just closed when Nobbs said, “I didn’t know you and Fen were cousins.”  I couldn’t help but hang my head and ride the rest of the way to the first floor in silence._

_We made our way down the corridor and passed an open door where a nine or ten year old girl was sitting on the foot end of the bed beside the door where a healer was currently drawing out poison from her finger.  Her mother and father on either side of her, chastising her pet of choice._

_“What did you think was going to happen, keeping a runespoor in your room?”_

_“I don’t know,” she shrugged turning to look at her parents and inadvertently pulling her finger from the healer who yanked it back roughly so he could better draw out the venom._

_“Minnie,” her father huffed, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, “I don’t know is not an answer.”_

_“But it is.  It’s my answer.”_

_“Isobel you do something.  I’ve had it with this magical mishmash.”_

_“Robert McGonagall, don’t you blame this all on me, she gets this from you!”_

_We continued on, not wanting to catch their attention, and moved a few rooms down finally finding it, 115._

_“I thought the old bird said ‘A’,” Charlus asked curiously, scratching his head.  I glanced at the other doors, 113, 117 and on the other side 114, 116, 118._

_“Well it’s gotta be this one,” I shrugged, “Let’s go in and see, yeah.”_

_Norbert pushed the door open and tentatively called in, “Hey Fen, you in here you prat?”_

_I thumped him on the shoulder with the back of my hand, “Teaspoon, the lot of you?”_

_“What are you rattling on about?” a voice asked from inside the room.  All three of us froze, not recognizing the voice.  Charlus pushed the door open the rest of the way and we could see inside that there were two occupied beds, Fen sat in one, a hand covering his mouth to cover his laughter which would go from a struggled muffle to a hiccupping cough.  In the other bed was the man who had spoken.  An attractive sort, with short brown hair and a half smile.  He was holding himself up with his elbows propped behind him and when he caught my eye he winked and I rolled my eyes at him._

_“Oh Fen,” I shouted, turning away from the other man and running to Greyback, “Thank goodness you’re alright.”_

_“My neck leaves a little something to be desired but other than that I was pleasantly surprised by what the Healers could do,” he garbled out.  My heart ached for him.  This was all my fault.  There were bandages wrapped around his neck and thankfully I couldn’t see any seepage but none the less, “I can see it on your face Myone, don’t blame yourself.  I would’ve gotten mauled whether you were there or not.”_

_“Hey, what’s this then?  We skipped out on Quidditch practice for this, we require better entertainment,” Norbert huffed, causing the room to laugh.  The tension broke a bit then and we were able to sit down and relax a bit._

_After a little while the boys began to talk about some rather odd things that I suspected were prior to my arrival in this time so I carefully extricated myself and made my way out of the room, deciding to clear my mind as I wandered around a bit.  Not wanting to peak about on patients in the Dai Llewellyn Ward, I made my way downstairs where the younger welcome witch was alone, sitting at the desk and seemingly less stressed than she had been before._

_Finding that it would be best not to get her attention, I continued on down the hall, entering the waiting area of Artefact Accidents.  A man standing at the counter had a broom between his legs though it was sticking out far farther than was appropriate to ride, his cloak covering a majority of it._

_“…and I’m telling you witch that it wasn’t done purposefully.  It happened accidently when I hit a post.”_

_“Sir, you aren’t wearing pants.  What wizard flies his broom without pants?  When the healer takes you back it will be quite obvious what your intentions were, it will be easier for everyone if you simply tell me the truth.”_

_“That’s what I’m doing,” he bellowed, his hand banging on the countertop before the vibration reverberated throughout his body and her whimpered in pain, reaching around to his arse, “Oh oh oh, see what you did!”_

_I moved quickly and continued on, finally coming to the end of the hall where there was a long line of wizards and witches, quite a few in Ministry robes, waiting for something.   Curiosity getting the better of me, I made my way to the end of the line and asked the first man I saw, “Excuse me sir; but what is this line for?”_

_“The Apothecary of course.”_

_“But what about Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary or Slug and Jiggers…I don’t understand the reason for such a long line.”_

_“Well you see, most apothecaries sell potion ingredients and limited completed products but you can never truly know the quality and everything is priced at the shop’s discretion.  This is the apothecary of St. Mungos and they only sell potions here, rather than ingredients, and they’re always of the highest quality, the same thing you’d get if you were admitted._

_“The difference is you can only get it if you’ve got an official Mungo’s script.  Even better, is if you work for St. Mungos or the Ministry, they pay half the price; just flash your badge.  Can’t get that anywhere else, can you?”_

_“I didn’t know that?” I said in disbelief._

_“Learn something new every day,” the man smirked._

_“Why must you bore the woman Pollux,” the man in line ahead of him huffed._

_The man who had been speaking to her scoffed, “She is a Gryffindor Arcturus.  It is my assumption that this is welcome.”_

_I scowled at the generalized insult but didn’t say anything, “I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself, Myone Macmillan.”_

_The two men suddenly turned to eye each other; heads and upper bodies leaning back in surprise, “Macmillan you say,” the man I now identified as Arcturus began, “Do you know a Melania by chance?”_

_“Not sure,” I stammered going back to what I’d said when I first arrived in this time, “We’re a rather large brood.”_

_“I like her,” Pollux laughed, slapping the other man on the back in jest._

_“Of course you do,” Arcturus sniffed indignantly._

_“Ah, I’ve got it now,” Pollux smirked, snapping his fingers, “I’ve heard of you, Myone Macmillan, you’re in Dueling Defense correct?”_

_I took a step back in surprise blinking quickly, “Um, yes, that’s right. But how…”_

_“Rather impressive-” Arcturus noted before Pollux could respond._

_“My son is rather…taken with you, my mother not so much,” Pollux finally added in, glaring at the man beside him._

_“You’re Alphard’s father,” I said finally able to piece them all together, “And you’re…”_

_“Orion’s father,” Arcturus replied, “He’s probably a few years younger than you are.”_

_“Yes,” I noted absently remembering the only thing I ever took from the Black tapestry.  Sirius’ parents were second cousins.  Orion Black was Sirius’ father and the son the Arcturus while Walburga Black (sister of Alphard) was the daughter of Pollux.  Arcturus and Pollux were cousins.  I wanted to cringe but withheld, it hadn’t happened yet and from what I now knew it was probably that ruddy Madam Black behind it all._

_We continued small talk until Arcturus and then Pollux got their potions from the apothecary._

_Pollux picked up a potion called Chelidonium Miniscula as well as an Anti-Alihotsy Draught for his wife while Arcturus picked up Fatiguing Fusion.  He noticed me glance at it and smiled, saying, “Trouble sleeping at night sometimes and this is a bit lighter than Dreamless Sleep or Drowsiness Draught.  If they have to up my dosage too much they’ll just give me one of those but no reason to blow my hat back if I can help it.”_

_I smiled and nodded and bid them farewell after they had paid their reduced fair and set off for the day._

_“Script please.”_

_I froze looking at the apothecary witch before glancing at the long line behind me as she looked at me, the wide grin falling from her face as she stated it again, flatly this time, “Script please.”_

_“Oh I don’t have a script.”_

_“They move along.  Next please,” the witch called and a short stocky man behind me pushed me out of the way to get to the counter. I hit the ground rather hard and scraped my hand on the tile of the floor, glaring up at the man as he continued on unperturbed._

_The woman didn’t seem to notice either, getting the man the potion on the script and stating it aloud, girding potion and elixir to induce euphoria._

_What a ridiculous combination, one potion induces inexplicable, irrational happiness while the other give extra endurance to his ruddy willie.  That was what he couldn’t wait for?  THAT!  What a prat.  I struggled to get myself standing and brushed myself off as a man came up beside me in crisp white robes._

_“I noticed what happened, are you alright?” he asked curiously._

_“I’m fine,” I replied, looking at my hand and sighing a bit.  He followed my eyes and noticed it the scrape along the heel of my palm._

_“Come along, I’ll give you a crème for that,” he replied, leading the way along the large stained glass windows of cauldrons and a mortar and pestle and into a room marked, ‘Consultation’. “Ahh, I should introduce myself,” the man stated, “My name is Regulus Moonshine.  I’m the apothecary here.  I apologize for the girl at the counter, it’s difficult to find any witches with decent OWLs that can assist and are willing to work.  Most are Ravenclaws who were unable to find matches for one reason or another and have a bit of a grudge.”_

_“OWLs?” I questioned._

_“Are you not familiar with owls?” the apothecary asked with a raised eyebrow, eying my Hogwarts uniform._

_“No, I am.  But wouldn’t you rather look for someone with NEWTs?”_

_“Women with decent potions NEWTs?” he replied with a scoff and a laugh, “Haven’t seen those in years.”_

_I couldn’t help but grin at that.  It hadn’t escaped my notice that if I didn’t find a way out of this time before graduation that I was looking at very limited prospects.  “Well sir, I may not have taken my NEWTs yet but none the less; I have a proposition for you.”_


	29. The Attack on Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Hogsmeade Day and Brax has convinced Myone to go with him but when Grindelwald’s men decide to attack he must protect her…or not. Myone learns more about the war and Ryland learns more about Myone. Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Grindelwald have their final stand and Tom, seeing a man he looks up to fail, develops a fear of Dumbledore he’s never experienced before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long since an update. I've literally reworked this 5 times. Every time I finished this I realized I was going to work myself into a writer's block with the way it was. Plus I'm creating a family tree for all the characters on MyHeritage which is way more time consuming than it should be and I'm going through and re-editing all the old chapters. I don't have a beta but if I wait long enough between posting the chapter and re-reading it then I will notice the mistakes without reading it as it should be rather than how it is. 
> 
> So I am sorry for the long wait but I hope it was worth it and you all haven't given up on this and walked away. I certainly haven't.

_I dodged to the right just in time to see a singed wood sign wiz by, just barely reading the words ‘HOGSMEADE -Please respect the spell limits’.  Apparently Grindelwald’s men found the sign offensive._

“You’re ahead of me,” Myone scoffed, eying the man beside her.

“Am I?”

“You just jump right to the action, don’t you?” she questioned, her arms flailing about as she ranted.

“Well that’s what the boy wants to hear,” Abraxas countered, turning to Draco, one brow raised curiously as he eyed him, “Isn’t it boy?”

Draco looked between the two elders currently staring him down and suddenly felt intimidated, doing the only think he could think of, he shrugged.

“There see,” Myone countered, gesturing to Draco as though that was all she needed as a response.

“That wasn’t anything woman.”

“It was everything,” she huffed, “He just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“My feelings-”

“Will someone just start the bloody story,” Draco finally huffed, to which his Grandmother grinned widely,

“I’ll start.”

* * *

_I sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, pushing the blueberries about in my porridge but not really eating it.  Today would be the last Hogsmeade trip of the year; the last Hogsmeade trip ever… After this, all that was left was NEWTs and graduation._

_I took a sip of pumpkin juice but it didn’t taste right.  People were talking excitedly all across the Great Hall but I didn’t bother to pay much attention.  I was now busy focusing on making a face with the blueberries.  Two eyes, a mouth.  I’d run out of berries and it didn’t have a nose-I guess it didn’t need one._

_“Whatcha’ doin’,” Bessandra Shell asked curiously as she made her way down the aisles, tilting her head to the side as though to analyze my blueberry face.  The hot porridge was causing the berries to shift and it looked a bit deformed; about the same as my mood this morning._

_“Making a face,” I sighed and Quintessa furrowed her brow at my depressing mood,_

_“Alright,” she responded with a furrowed brow before clapping her hands and turning chipper, darting into the seat beside me, “SO! You’ll never guess what happened to Bess.”_

_“Zuvanc asked her to Hogsmeade?” I guessed, turning from my breakfast.  I’d heard that he had.  I’d heard a lot of things.  That’s she’d slipped him a love potion, that he’d thought she was a seventh year, that she told him she was a seventh year, that he’d been hiding his undying love for her for years…what was true was a different story, “So what happened?”_

_“He wants to get together to talk about my joining the Gryffindor team next year as Keeper!”_

_“You want to be keeper for Gryffindor?” I asked surprised.  There was not a single girl on any Quidditch team, something that had continued on in Slytherin in my time, despite Millicent being built for it._

_“Of course not,” Bessie huffed, rolling her eyes and waving her hand in my face, “I just want to get him alone.”_

_“Won’t he notice that you’re not interested?” I asked confused._

_“Trust me,” Bess grinned, “When I’m through with him…Quidditch will be the last thing on his mind.”_

_“Bessie,” Tess laughed scandalized before the two girls stood and wandered farther down the table giggling to themselves, conversation apparently over._

_I smiled to myself before looking back down at my porridge, the blueberries had sunk beneath the surface and disappeared, my mood souring again as I remembered that Harry and Ron wouldn’t be filling the empty seats beside me.  The original reason we all came back was so that we could graduate together._

_After everything that had happened, Professor McGonagall had offered to let us simply sit our NEWTs and graduate; something no one else had been offered.  We had declined, wanting to finish what we’d started all those years ago together.  And despite the few times that I had mulled over the possibility of being stuck here, it was just now becoming real.  I was going to graduate Hogwarts in the Graduating Class of 1945.  This was horrible.  I wanted to sit in my room and cry.  Instead, I would be going on one of those stupid ruddy courtship dates with bloody Malfoy today._

_“So are you going to Hogsmeade?” Nobbs asked curiously, startling me from my thoughts as he settled into the table across from me._

_“I am,” I replied, nodding hello to Charlus as he settled in beside Norbert._

_“ ‘Ello Myone,” Charlus grinned, “Excited for Hogsmeade?”_

_“I suppose I am,” I answered, trying to appear more cheerful that I felt, “Are you?”_

_“You can bloody well bet I’m excited, Dorea’s agreed to accompany me; what more could I ask for?”_

_“That the bird you liked had better taste in men?” Nobbs suggested with a sly grin earning a thump on the arm from his friend._

_“Prat,” Charlus huffed as he grabbed his spoon and forced his porridge into his friend’s grinning face.   It had been 4 months since Greyback had been attacked and things were now relatively back to normal.  We still missed him and send him letters by owl but he had settled in well at home and had gone through three successful transformations._

_Charlus had gotten himself a date with Dorea Black behind the back of her lovely mother who, under no circumstances, could find out.  Charlus had no desire to lose an eye…or his bollocks._

_And Nobbs was Nobbs; still set on being the Minister of Magic despite the lack of studying._

_I couldn’t stop the smile that made its way onto my face at the two boys laughing with one another, now beginning to throw porridge and scrambled eggs back and forth._

_“Alright, alright,” I huffed, throwing up a shield charm to cover myself from any overspray that may have ended up my way.  Though nothing I was wearing was overly exciting, I was still somewhat dressed up for my “date” with Brax._

_My outfit was nothing more than transfigured school robes that had been fashioned by Ansley and Eileen in an abandoned classroom earlier in the week as I had “nothing suitable”._

_Feeling a sudden presence behind me, as well as a sneer on the face of the two boys across from me, I forced my mind back to the present in time to hear, “I see you finally look as you should, covered in filth.”_

_“So help me, Yaxley,” Nobbs growled, moving to stand; his hands braced on the tabletop._

_“Ryland,” I said quickly, hoping to diffuse the situation as I stood and placed my hand on his upper arm in a placating way, drawing his attention away from the boy in front of him, “Are you to be my escort for the day?”_

_“I am,” he shrugged, “Know how much you love the idea of escorts but now that it’s official and all…”_

_“It’s fine,” I sighed, nodding, “The prancing hippogriff will surely be watching in the wings somewhere so the more ‘official’ this looks, the better.”_

_“You don’t have to sound so excited.”_

_“Of course she ain’t excited,” Norbert was quick to spout, “What’d make you think that she’d want to look at your sorry mug all day.  Bad enough she’s gotta look at Malfoy’s.”_

_“Nobbs,” I said in a warning tone, “Enough.”_

_“Perhaps we should go,” Ryland stated flatly, glaring at the two boys seated at the table._

_“Alright,” I answered before turning to Charlus, “I hope to see you and…your date in Hogsmeade.”_

_“I’ll shout if I spot you,” Charlus replied with a grin, raising his glass of milk in toast as I was led away._

_Once out of earshot I glared at the man-child beside me, “You don’t have to be so…so rude!”_

_“I don’t understand how you can associate with filth?”_

_“You associate with Mulciber,” I countered, pointing to the boy at the Slytherin table who seemed to be clearing the wax from his ear with his middle finger before rubbing said finger back and forth against his thumb and then smelling it.  I grimaced before smirking up at Ryland._

_“Well he’s disgusting, I’ll give you that,” Ryland relented, “But his blood is still purer than Leach’s.”_

_“You’d rather have your sister mate with Leon Flint,” I argued, pointing toward the boy who had grabbed the whole platter of bangers for the table and claimed them as his own, his shirt on backwards, “Than Eyston Spinnet?”  Eyston was seated over at the end of his house table with a few others; all had toast with a bit of marmalade, their books open as they quizzed each other for a test coming up in Transfiguration._

_Ryland shivered, “A dirty Hufflepuff who eats marmalade; do I hate this imaginary sister, as well as wish for her offspring to be sullied?”_

_I threw up my hands at that, “You’re impossible.”_

_As I stormed from the Great Hall I heard him shout behind me, “Wait, I’m your escort.”_

* * *

_First on the docket is Everlast’s Teas,”_ _Alphard mentioned casually, glancing down at the slip of parchment in his hand, “Then at one, Dominic Maestro’s is doing some sort of performance, so that might be nice._

_“After that, it wouldn’t be bad to take her to Tomes - get her a few things, but not so much that it looks like you’re trying to buy her or show off your galleons, just enough to show her that you value her.”_

_“Any other sage wisdom, Mrs. Flint,” I mocked.  Who was he to give me advice on wooing women?_

_“Shut it,” Alphard growled, “I’m trying to help you.  Besides, Ryland’s her escort and you are meeting her there.  Don’t you want to know where she is even going to be?”_

_Annoyed at his concrete logic, I ripped the parchment from his hand and made my way down the worn dirt path towards Hogsmeade; Alphard making an exasperated noise behind me._

_I glanced down at the paper, the handwriting nearly illegible; below the list of locations were topic suggestions…_

**_Ask her what she likes?_ **

**_Meet her family…are they alive?_ **

**_Have her meet Brax’s parents…avoid Brutus and Esmeralda_ **

**_Kill her?_ **

_“Does this say kill her?” I asked in confusion, turning to Alphard who had caught up to me while I looked it over._

_“What?” he replied back with furrowed brows, glancing over my shoulder to eye the paper, “Kiss-You know; as though you should perhaps kiss her at the end.”_

_“Your handwriting is horrendous,” I scoffed, slamming the paper into his chest and rolling my eyes.  He scrambled to keep hold of it as I let it go, the day was a bit windy, and we continued to make our way down the path._

_“Have you spoken to your parents any more about the arrangement?” Alphard asked after a few minutes of silence.  Alphard was, of course, referring to the strongly worded missive I’d sent my Mother in response to letter of intent that they’d sent Myone back in January.  Mother had sent back the following,_

**_I’m sorry we didn’t discuss it with you first, my love.  I do remember stating many years ago with regard to your input before having anything finalized; however, your Grandfather has brought it to our attention that he would be writing us out of the will and transferring all of the Malfoy fortune to his daughter if we were not able to prove that you were set to be providing heirs soon.  Your Father and I are incredibly concerned that Esmeralda, Trufta, and her future heir will inherit the Malfoy fortune though will never bear the Malfoy family name._ **

**_It was decided between your father and I that you will have a contract before the end of January.  The fact that you spoke favorably of Myone Macmillan, her family name being of the sacred 28, and she was without a contract herself; made her the ideal candidate._ **

**_I am sorry my dear, but I will not allow Esmeralda in this house!_ **

“Wait, wait, wait!” Draco spouted out appalled, “The Malfoy fortune was going to be given away?”

“It was,” Abraxas nodded.  “You see; my grandfather Brutus Malfoy was married to my grandmother, a woman named Rycinda, who died in childbirth.  He remained unmarried for most of father’s childhood and father was raised by house elves much of the time. 

“However, there came a time when my grandfather decided to marry again.  He married my mother’s best friend from school.”

“What?” Draco replied in a bit of astonishment.

“Apparently,” Myone huffed, rolling her eyes, “Esmeralda Parkinson and Aleida Burke were best friends in school and Esmeralda held deep affection for Hyperion Malfoy.  He, however, held no such affection for her, and asked Aleida into contract.  Esmeralda felt scorned and seduced his father, trying to take the fortune for herself.” 

“She only fell pregnant the once,” Myone continued, “Hated it, and declared it wasn’t going to happen ever again.  Only problem was that she had a daughter, and even if she had a son, he wouldn’t have been first born.”

“She was a master manipulator though,” Abraxas scoffed, “Had grandfather convinced that we’d run the family into the ground, father and I.  Got him to almost sign the fortune over to Esmeralda’s daughter Trufta.”

“So,” Draco stammered in shock, turning to Myone, “Who would have controlled all of the Malfoy estate if you hadn’t married and become my grandmother?”

“Luna Lovegood.”

“Loony Lovegood?”

“I don’t think she particularly likes that nickname, dear,” Myone admonished.

“So wait…how are we related?”

“Her great grandfather is Brutus Malfoy; he’s also your great great grandfather,” his Grandmother continued, “There’s a half thrown in there as well, of course, different mothers and all that.  But we’ve gotten off topic it seems.”

“What was I talking about?” Abraxas questioned.

“Alphard asked you if you talked to your parents about the contract,” Myone replied.

“Right…”

_“I talked to them a bit,” I replied with a shrug, Alphard eying me,” Sent them a letter.”_

_“What did they say?”_

_“Said Grandfather was going to give the fortune to Trufta if I didn’t marry soon.”_

_“Trufta?  What would she get it for?  She’s not the first born…she won’t even carry on the Malfoy name.”_

_“That’s the trouble,” I sighed, “Mum and Dad were set on finding me anyone somewhat tolerable over Yule Hols just to ensure that the Malfoy estate stayed with Malfoys.  Then Macmillan sent me a letter and they asked about her; I guess they figured she was as good ‘a choice as any.”_

_“Well she is,” Alphard shrugged in reply, “I mean, if you don’t want her, we can trade.”_

_“We aren’t trading,” I growled in annoyance._

_“So, you do want her then?”_

_“I want her more than Flint, if that’s what you mean?”_

_“No, I think you actually want her.”_

_“You’re an idiot.”_

_“I don’t know; I’ve been watching you over the last five months.  There are some little things that I’ve noticed.”_

_“You haven’t noticed anything,” I sneered, my hands in the pockets of my robes as I spotted smoke from one of the fireplaces in Hogsmeade; we were close.  I picked up my pace._

_“She calls you Brax,” he commented with a wry grin._

_“You call me Brax.”_

_“You smile when she says it.”  I glared furiously at him and walked a bit faster still._

_“You wait for her after class,” he continued, grinning as though he’d won the last argument and was continuing on just for his own amusement._

_“If you remember,” I retorted with a sneer, “Tom told me too.”_

_“Tom said to not leave her unattended in the library.  He doesn’t trust her in there.  You went from waiting for her after her last class, to going out of your way just to come across her.”  I furrowed my brow at that.  No, I was sure that wasn’t true…right?_

_“Oh, and another thing; meals.”_

_“Well this is shite and you know it.  You can’t have anything to say about meals - I sit at the Slytherin table and she sits at the Gryffindor one; an entire table in between.”_

_“But you watch her, and you glare at Potter and Leach.”_

_“We all hate Potter and Leach,” I argued, stopping just outside the sign at the entrance to Hogsmeade._

_“Yes, but we hate them on principal,” Alphard argued, his index finger cutting into the air to accent his argument as he stopped beside me, “For Quidditch, or for being Mudblood supporters (Leach for being a Mudblood), but you hate them for talking to Myone; for touching Myone.”  I glared at Alphard when he said that word, touching…_

_“Do you love her?” he suddenly asked curiously, his black eyebrows scrunching up as mine nearly jumped from my face in alarm._

_“What?” I sputtered, choking on air and my own spit as I tried to regain control of my body._

_“Oh hello Myone,” Alphard stated, a sinister smile coming across his face.  That son of a bitch, he was trying to trick me into turning and I wasn’t about to fall for-_

_“Hello Alphard,” a voice replied and I froze, still coughing and sputtering, “Oh dear; Brax, are you all right?”_

_She began hitting my back with her gloved hands as I tried to regain control of myself; Alphard smirking to himself the entire time._

_“Inappropriate touching for a courtship date,” a voice suddenly called out in a haughty voice just as I’d gotten control of myself.  We were still standing just outside of Hogsmeade as I watched Madam Black make her way past us, a gaggle of girls trailing behind her._

_I turned my head to eye Myone who fixed a glare at the procession, muttering under her breath, and her nose crinkling as they made their way past.  I felt a smile cross my lips ever so slightly at the way her nose wrinkled in distaste._

_“Sorry,” Alphard apologized.  I turned to accept his apology before realizing it was for his Grandmother’s behavior to Myone and not for me, the Prat._

_“So,” Myone asked curiously, turning to Black, “What’s the plan then for today?”_

_“Everlasts’,” Ryland answered._

_“And what is that?” she questioned curiously._

_“It’s just customary for courtship dates to go to Everlast’s Teas at least once,” Alphard replied with a shrug, “It’s not really our first choice per say, but it’s a bit like an unwritten rule, and with Grandmother down your neck, you may not wish to push any buttons.”_

_Myone rolled her eyes but nodded, “Fine, but I have to stop over at Tomes and Scrolls first and grab something.”_

_“We can all go together after we have tea,” I replied confused.  Why was she wanting to split up already?  This was supposed to be a courtship date._

_“It’ll be real quick, promise,” she replied, giving me a bright smile, “You’ll wait for me at the Tea Shop, yeah?”_

_I found myself nodding before I could help it.  Why was I nodding?  I didn’t want to wait at the Tea Shop with Black all on our own; puttering about while everyone around us had courtship dates._

_“Thanks,” she replied before spinning on her heels and meandering off.  Alphard openly glaring at me._

_“Have you ever been in the Tea Shop?” he asked me, a slight look of sick on his face._

_“No; have you?”_

_“No.”  We both turned in its direction when Alphard muttered aloud, “You don’t think it will be too girly do you?”_

_It was._

* * *

_“We just passed Tomes,” Ryland mentioned, his arm moving across his chest to point at the building to their right as I moved confidently past, brushing his comment off._

_“I know,” I replied, “That’s because we aren’t actually going to Tomes and Scrolls, are we.”  I could tell that Ryland was giving me a scrutinizing look out of the corner of his eye but I outright ignored it, choosing instead to continue on toward the Post Office._

_Once he realized where it was that we were going, he seemed only more confused.  “What could you possibly have to send that you couldn’t have sent from the Owlery at Hogwarts?_

_“Why are you so concerned about what I’m mailing in the first place?” I countered back, giving him a curious look as I made my way to the door and Yaxley quickly hurried ahead to hold it open for me.  I nodded my thanks and darted inside, rubbing my gloved hands together for a bit of warmth before removing the gloves altogether and trading them with three envelopes in my beaded bag._

_I’d never actually been in the Post Office in Hogsmeade before, always using Hedwig, Pig, Errol, or an Owl from Hogwarts.  The building looked like a large log cabin with owls atop the beams staring down at everyone.  There was a large stone hearth off to one side and a large counter where wizards were taking coin for the appropriate postage, much like a muggle Post Office._

_I took my place in line behind a witch with stringy black hair that seemed in dire need of a wash.  She was fidgeting nervously and tapping her foot impatiently.  She turned her head to look at the large clock on the wall above the hearth and I recognized her from a class or two; Lenore Bell.  She was a Halfblood Ravenclaw that had always taken great pride in herself and this was a very different image than anything I would have expected from her._

_Unable to help myself, especially considering that I had nothing better to do while standing in line, I placed my hand on Lenore’s shoulder and watched her jerk to see who had touched her._

_“Myone Macmillan, Ryland Yaxley,” she breathed out heavily, giving a falsely courteous smile, “It’s nice to see you.”_

_“What’s wrong?” I asked, not letting my hand fall when she began to move out of my reach._

_“Nothing; everything’s fine,” she replied quickly, her words managing to jumble together in her haste to get them out._

_I raised a brow at her but said nothing in reply as I waited for a better response.  Ryland simply looked between the two of us in confusion.  I could tell that he was disgusted by her lack of hygiene and didn’t like that I was touching her but he was too curious to move away.  Plus, he was still my escort and he couldn’t abandon me, he at least had a sense of duty, if nothing else._

_Suddenly Lenore’s jaw began to quiver and tears began to slowly drip down her face, cascading faster and faster.  “Hero,” she muttered, shaking the letter in her hand, “Killed escaping a Jerry prison camp and deemed a hero.”  Her nose was crinkling in disgust and her fist was curling and wrinkling her letter.  “Mum wants me home.  The ruddy Nazi’s gave the Red Cross Dad’s body and Mum wants me there for the funeral.  No matter what world I’m in, there is war everywhere I turn.  I’m set to Graduate though,” she continued, crying wholeheartedly, “I can’t miss my NEWTs and ruin my future but if I miss Dad’s funeral I just know I won’t be able to think straight and I’ll fail the tests anyhow.”_

_Oh god!  How was it possible that I was here, dealing with Tom Riddle, living in 1945 and, not for one minute, did I think about the fact that I was in the middle of World War II.  It seemed so obvious but it was almost as though being in the Wizarding World kept everything separate._

_But other Muggleborn and Halfbloods had to deal with the war.  With parents, siblings, and possibly themselves being drafted into the military against the Nazis.  I could only imagine being in her place, knowing how strong she was with a wand but not being about to really fight because she was a girl, watching her muggle father go to war instead.  I had fought to protect my parents, going so far as to obliviate them and send them off to Australia, but she could do nothing; and now she had to make a difficult choice between her future in the Wizarding World and a final goodbye to her father._

_I simply held her tight and turned to look at Yaxley who mouthed the words, “Jerry?” in confusion to which I shook my head._

_After I pulled away I told her to speak with Professor Dippet and that he would help her have her closure_ and _get her NEWTs.  She needed both.  “Talk to him before you decide anything,” I said, eying the letter in her hand.  She looked up at me and nodded, giving me a tight hug of thanks before running from the Post Office._

_“What was that about?” Ryland asked curiously._

_“The muggles are at war right now.”_

_“What could they be fighting over?”_

_“Everything,” I sighed, “It’s a world war.”  I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.  Hitler wouldn’t die for a few more days and many of the things I knew wouldn’t be known by the masses for years yet.  It was best if I just kept my mouth shut._

_“Next,” a voice called from the counter and I shook my head to get my thoughts together before making my way to the man.  I set the letters on the counter in front of me and he simply stared blankly at me.  I quickly came to the realization that he was not going to initiate this conversation, “I need to postdate these letters.”_

_“To when?”_

_“January of 1999.”  The man’s face seemed to scrunch up at about the same speed that Yaxley’s did.  I hadn’t wanted Yaxley to come but I knew this was the safest place for the letters to be and I would obliviate him when we left the Post Office before we met back up at the tea shop.  I was unconcerned._

_Yaxley took it upon himself to lean over the counter and look at the names on the letters:_

_Harry Potter_  
12 Grimmauld Place  
Islington  
London, England

_Ronald Weasley_  
Fifth Story of the Burrow  
Ottery St. Catchpole  
Devon, England

_Draco Malfoy_  
East Wing  
Malfoy Manor  
Wiltshire, England

_He was looking between the letters and me with something akin to pieces falling together in his mind.  I ignored him, let him figure out.  He’d forget it soon enough._

_“So you want these postdated then,” the wizard asked, sounding as though he doubted that I really knew what I wanted._

_“Yes,” I replied with a firm nod, “How much will it be for you to hold them here and send them off on the correct date.”_

_“9 galleons.”_

_“9?” Yaxley scoffed loudly._

_“Yeah,” the wizard sneered, 3 a’piece for 50 years in storage ain’t bad I’d say.”_

_“No I guess it’s not,” I agreed with a huff, tossing my beaded bag onto the counter to which there was a resounding thud before rifling through it.  That would be the rest of my money.  I was out.  I’d been hoping to save those for the down payment on an apartment but this was equally important.  What if I was killed or something happened?  Harry and Ron would need to know what happened to me._

_It was physically painful as the last of my money left my hand and went into the nameless wizards’ behind the counter who smiled smugly.  My nostrils seemed to flair in impertinence but I said nothing, simply thanked him for his time as Ryland led the way to the door, giving me indiscreet looks on the way._

_He held the door for me again and I thanked him.  I opened my bag and palmed my wand which I had gotten into position earlier when I’d rifled around for the galleons.  The door came to a close behind us and my wand was now in my hand and half exposed but he wasn’t looking at that.  He was focusing on something off in the distance; even better._

_I lifted the wand to his head while his focus was elsewhere and knew I had one chance for this as I began to mutter the spell, “Obli-”_

_Suddenly the wand was shot from my hand and landed off behind me but I hadn’t time to locate it as Ryland had grabbed my hand and was now pulling me to the left.  I looked to where he had been so focused before and realized that there were men in thick black robes apparating in; the sign of the deathly hallows tattooed on their wand hands.  Grindelwald’s men!_

_“Come on,” Ryland called, still pulling me along behind him, a spell or two flying overhead every so often.  It was just often enough to know that we were still targets but not often enough to begin throwing up defensive spells and exhausting our magic.  Besides, I no longer had my wand and my wandless magic was only so powerful._

_I spotted something coming toward us and quickly pulled the both of us to the ground, turning my head to watch it shoot overtop and blast into Dervish and Banges where it blasted apart brick and mortar, sending a shower of dust and debris out over the unsuspecting people who had been walking past.  They began screaming and scattering.  The ones that could, apparated, while the students began to run toward the carriages._

_Charlus and Dorea, who had been sitting in a nearly hidden alcove on the second floor of Tomes and Scrolls, were alerted by the noise and moved to the closest window to investigate before immediately abandoning their books and making their way out onto the street to assist._

_By the time Ryland and I had gotten ourselves up and moving again we had reached the entrance to Tomes just as Charlus and Dorea were coming out._

_“Myone!” Charlus shouted astonished, “What’s going on?”_

_“Grindelwald’s men have invaded Hogsmeade and are just blasting everything.”_

_“Are either of you hurt?” Dorea asked immediately, her healer training taking effect.  We shook our heads and she gave us a nod as she smiled.  Suddenly the sound of another spell hitting brick brought us back and we all took cover as the debris rained down._

_There was shouting from behind us and we turned to see someone had been injured.  Dorea immediately ran toward them to assist and Charlus ran after her to ensure that they were protected while she was vulnerable._

_It was now just the two of us again but we weren’t alone.  One of the black robed men had spotted us and was making his way toward us.  I was able to throw a shield around the two of us but that was the best I could do without a wand._

_Ryland held up as best as he could from his dueling training in class but I could tell that the blacked robed individual was gaining momentum and would soon overtake us.  It was then that I was grabbed from behind and pulled away from Ryland; the defensive shield falling just as he was struck with a hex that had him thrown into the building behind him, landing in a heap on the ground.  He didn’t move._

_I stared at his prone form, willing him to move.  Hoping desperately for him to surge to life but it wasn’t looking good.  I was distracted from my view of him as I was grasped around my neck and forced to look into the face of the man in the black robes, his hood having fallen back onto his shoulders to make his face visible.  He was sneering at me and his nose was crinkling in distaste._

_I could feel my heart beating erratically as he lifted me off of my feet using only the hand on my neck and the brick wall behind my back.  I attempted to kick out, then tried kneeing his groin but even that didn’t work.  All it did was encourage him to squeeze harder and use his tongue to lick up the left side of my face.  I cringed but he only let out a brief guttural laugh at my reaction.  I heard the sound of another building being struck by spell-work before noticing mortar dust out of the corner of my eye._

_With the lack of consistent oxygen and my erratic heartbeats I wasn’t able to give enough concentration to my wandless magic; let alone the now necessary, wandless non-verbal that was required due to my restricted airway.  I couldn’t believe that I was going to die this way, after everything that had happened to me. I lived through one war only to go back in time and die in another.  At least I’d sent off the letters, if nothing else I managed to tell Harry, Ron, and Draco where I was and who I’d met while I was here._

_“Avada Kedavra!” a voice suddenly shouted furiously, green light blinding my vision.  The hand that had been holding me to the wall released me and I hit the ground hard, collapsing to lean against the building behind me as I attempted to catch my breath._

_“Myone,” the voice from before called, leaning down in front of me, “Are you alright?”  I couldn’t see anything due to the blinding light of the killing curse.  Someone used the killing curse for me.  I didn’t know if I should be thankful or horrified.  I still couldn’t see at the moment so I tried to focus on the voice._

_“Shite,” the voice grumbled under its breath, “Please be alright.”_

_“Ryland?” I asked aloud, hoping he was alright and that he wasn’t still lying in a crumbled heap._

_“Yeah,” he replied, relief in his voice, “You’ alright then?”_

_“I can’t see, but I’m alright.”_

_“Can’t see?”_

_“You used the killing curse?”_

_“What?...Well yeah, he was going to kill you.”_

_“The light blinded me a bit; but I’ll be all right.” Despite how much I hated the unforgivables; how upset could I be when he used it for me against someone who would have happily killed us both.  
_

_Ryland took hold of my arm and helped me to stand before moving his arm to my waist to assist in guiding me through the rubble and outside the targeted areas of where the battles were still continuing.  “I’ll take you toward the Tea Shop.  Brax won’t want to go too far knowing that you will be in danger and knowing that you last discussed meeting there.”_

_“Alright,” I agreed, trusting him to lead the way._

* * *

_Alphard was crinkling his nose and rolling his eyes in distaste as he took a sip of overly sweet tea placed in front of him before setting it on the white lacey table cover._

_“What in the world were you thinking,” he grumbled at me as the young witch who had placed the biscuits on a little flowered ceramic plate down before us winked at me and left toward the back kitchen, “‘It’ll be real quick, promise’”, he continued on in a sarcastically mock voice of Myone to which I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in exasperation, “‘You’ll wait for me at the Tea Shop, yeah?’ All she had to do is smile and bat her eyelashes at you and you were eating out of her hand.”_

_“I was not!” I huffed back, my eyes narrowing in annoyance._

_“Then why were you so quick to just agree.  You don’t go along with anything the rest of us say.”  Alphard moved to snatch one of the biscuits off the platter with a jelly center and waved it at me for emphasis as he prattled on, crumbs and bits flying about to stain the lace cloth that covered the table, “I think that there’s another reason that you just go along with whatever she wants.”_

_I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous behavior before grabbing a biscuit myself and taking a bite and brushing the crumbs off onto the napkin beside me._

_“So what if I love her, since when is that any of your business.”  As soon as the words had left my lips, we both realized what I’d said and froze.  Alphard dropped the biscuit from his fingers and it flopped upside down onto the white lace cloth._

_“What did you say?” Alphard was quick to ask in astonishment._

_Not wishing to respond, I quickly stuffed the rest of my biscuit into my mouth washing it down with tea when I began to choke on it._

_“You love her?” Alphard repeated, ignoring the sputtering and coughing I was making._

_“Is that what I said?”_

_“That’s what I’m asking.  Do you love Myone Macmillan?”_

_I opened my mouth to answer, ‘Of course not, you idiot’ and end this entire thing before it started but instead I replied with, “Of course I do, but I don’t want you to know that, you idiot.”_

_My eyes widened at my apparent lack of control.  What was wrong with me.  I clapped a hand over my mouth just as the waitress that had winked at me earlier came back my with a new pot of water for tea._

_“I just thought I’d come by with more water for tea and-” she froze as she eyed the mess about the table.  Alphard’s biscuit that he had turned back over, leaving a dark jelly smear on the white lace along with powdered sugar over various areas of the surface and a multitude of crumbs in front of my area and most likely covering my face after stuffing my face with it._

_“Did you eat these?” she asked curiously, pointing to the plate with a furrowed brow.  The look on her face caused the both of us to give them a second look as well._

_“Why?” Alphard asked with narrowed eyes in response, “Is there some reason that we shouldn’t have?”_

_“Well Madam Black came in and said that you were requesting verity biscuits for your intended.  I just never expected that you would eat them as well.”_

_Alphard and I seemed to respond at the same time:_

_“Verity Biscuits.”_

_“Madam Black.”_

_“Yes, many wealthy purebloods use them on their intendeds to ensure themselves of their ladies priorities, their purity, or their loyalty.   But if you aren’t familiar with it then how did you request it?”_

_“I didn’t request it!” I snarled out furiously, standing and pounding my fist into the table.  The small waitress jumped back at my anger and the rest of the room seemed to turn to look at me curiously at my explosion but seconds later the large bay window two tables away shattered and the attention was diverted from me.  Startled, I quickly darted for the entrance, Alphard at my heels._

_“What’s going on?” Alphard asked curiously, attempted to get into the outer robes that he’d removed when we’d been inside the tea shop and left too quickly for him to put back on._

_“I’m not sure but…”  I suddenly heard a whistling sound in the air and looked up just in time to dodge to the right as a singed wood sign whizzed by.  I turned to follow the sign with my line of sight and both Alphard and I watched the irony of the barely legible words: ‘HOGSMEADE -Please respect the spell limits’ crash into the stone of the street and splinter apart._

_“We need to find Ryland and Myone,” I finished my thought with a hint of desperation.  I decided to blame it on the Veritaserum in the biscuits._

_“Myone!” Alphard called out over the commotion until it caught the attention of one of the black robed individuals.  That halted any more of that.  We quickly hexed him unconscious and were more cautious in our search._

_There were spells being shot off left and right as well as collapsing brick all around.  The dust from the disintegrating mortar was irritating to the eye but nothing a well-placed impervious didn’t solve.  The male shop owners had quickly emerged to defend their shops, firing off a few defensive spells before deeming it a lost cause and following their female counterparts in disapperating away._

_The teachers on duty in town were hurriedly ushering the students toward the carriages to go back toward Hogwarts though any dueling students were choosing to stay behind with Vostic to do what they could.  I couldn’t help but suspect that they were just hoping for future recommendations at the Ministry, thought that could just be the Slytherins._

_The Aurors were now beginning to arrive in groups of five, already in a formation so that their backs were to each other, forming a pentagon and ready for an attack.  But despite their effort, they were not match for the trained warrior attitude of Grindelwald’s men who had arrived in hoards and were already decimating the small village._

_I was watching Aurors fall down dead, and it was only making me more nervous; where was Myone?_

_I suddenly heard a shout down at the other end of an alley that Alphard and I were at the mouth of, “Yaxley...”_

_Without taking a second to think it over I ran down the small alley, Alphard right behind me, calling out for me to slow down.  I halted at the other end, taking in the scene.  Hogsmeade was a bit horseshoe shaped and we had gone from one end to the other by cutting through it at its largest point._

_There was even more damage at this end but it didn’t take much for me to spot Myone, pinned against the wall with one of Grindelwald’s men gripping her throat tightly.  Yaxley was struggling to get up from the ground where it was apparent that he had landed hard from the mortar dust on his robes._

_But who had called out to him?  Myone wouldn’t call him Yaxley…would she?_

_“Yaxley?” the voice called again.  It wasn’t Myone.  This time it wasn’t just me that heard it.  Both Alphard and Ryland turned to spot it as well._

_The voice belonged to Odelia Greengrass, Ryland’s intended.  I gave her a scrutinizing eye just as Ryland noticed her.  She was sitting outside J. Pippin’s Potions that were known for non-necessity and obscene potions that could never do what they claimed.  She appeared to have been sitting on one of the wrought iron benches outside when something blasted into the shop and brick had fallen from the second story and landed on her.  She was trapped beneath both the upturned bench and the bricks themselves._

_That, however, wasn’t the only concern.  The bricks collapsing from the second story had damaged the integrity of the structure of the building and it was now on the brink of completely collapsing.  You could hear it groan and creak.  There was no doubt that it would collapse onto her within the next few minutes._

_She was whimpering and crying profusely; her typically impeccable makeup was smeared about her face and mixed with dirt while her hair’s immaculate updo was now falling about haphazardly.  As she noticed Ryland quickly analyze the situation, glancing between both her and Myone, she began to cry harder, calling out to him desperately as he finally turned from her and ran toward Myone with his wand outstretched._

_“Ryland!” she screamed out, trying to pull herself out from the rubble with her arms.  The jostling of the rubble seemed to be enough to unstabilize the already weakened foundation and it collapsed onto her.  Dust swept up from the impact and she was no longer visible._

_Ryland, meanwhile, shouted out the killing curse with no qualms and the man who had been holding Myone so securely to the wall released her easily as he collapsed dead._

_I paused, eying the Greengrass girl once more.  The dust was now beginning to settle and I was able to make out the poor girl’s unmoving hand.  It was unlikely that she would survive.  Despite the fact that Odelia Greengrass wasn’t Ryland's first choice, she was, none the less, his intended.  That made her his top priority.  His reputation rested with her.  In her death, he would now be deemed high risk.  No mother would wish their daughter with him after another had been killed while under his care.  It would be unlikely that he would ever be able to marry within polite society after this.  And he’d purposefully abandoned her for Myone, my intended._

_Why would he do that?  Because Tom wanted her protected?  Because they were friends?  None of it made any sense._

_I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find Alphard in a bit of turmoil and confusion as well.  “They are going around to the other side, probably to find us.  It’d be best if we go back through the alley.”_

_I nodded.  "It’d probably be best if we don’t-"_

_"Agreed," Alphard quickly nodded, running back down the alleyway._

“And I believe that’s enough for today,” Gran responded with a sad look.

“Wait, wait, hold on,” Draco breathed out, his eyes wide.

“Yes dear?” his Grandmother responded with a curious look.

“That’s it.  We’re just going to stop for today?”

“Well today was quite an exciting one.  You really should rest.  Absorb it all.” 

He let a sneer come across his face, “But, I have questions.”

“You can ask them,” Grandfather responded flatly, “No one is stopping you.”

“Of course, dear.”

“Alright,” Draco nodded, getting his thoughts together, “So, you aren’t blind…”

“Obviously not,” Abraxas scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“I’m just asking,” Draco huffed, “Stopping at a weird spot and all that...and so Yaxley knows you’re from the future.”

“You’ll have to wait for the answer to that.”

Draco couldn’t stop the grumble at that one, “Fine! And what about Dumbledore and Grindelwald.  Don’t they have their battle that day?”

“They do,” Grandmother confirmed, “While we were busy with battles of our own, Tom stumbled into something completely different.  He was able to witness their standoff until they apparated to finish it off at the Gates of his prison fortress where he would be imprisoned when he lost.”

“There now are you happy?” Brax asked with a slight smirk at the inquisitive nature of his Grandson.

“Not happy, but…” Draco grumbled before trailing off at the glare his Grandfather gave him, “Yeah, that’s good.  I’m happy.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and I'm looking for a bit of advice. I know it's a bit of a ways off but I'm looking for the central job of those living in the area of the Snapes, Evans, and Pettigrews. They live in Cokeworth. Snape specifically lives on Spinner's End. There is a large abandoned mill at the beginning of 6th year but it may have been abandoned for years. It could easily explain why Spinner's was a bad area if they were laying people off, it could also explain Tobias abusive nature if he couldn't rightfully care for his family and why Severus had baggy and mismatched clothes.   
> The question I have is: What is this mill? With the city being Cokeworth and it being large enough to envelope all three families then it would likely not be the sole source of income so it may not have to do with the name Cokeworth but Coke is a type of fuel that gives off Ammonia and Carbon Monoxide. It can also polute the water ways. The factory may have been built first because of the need for water and the city around it like many during the industrial revolution. I imagine that he was a soldier in WWII and got some sort of job after the war with this option. Then for whatever reason the Coke plant is closed. Whether it is because of the various health and pollution bills passed in Great Britain in the 60's, too many deaths, or a fire that brakes out. Either way, the family is more or less trapped there. The wealthier families more to the outskirts or other areas and find other jobs but Tobias wallows in dispair. Blaming others for his problems and has trouble finding work. This only causing his more trouble and he takes out his frustrations on his family. I imagine in this example that the Evans father was a supervisor or foreman at the plant before it closed and found other work, making Tobias resentful and hateful toward the Evans family.  
> Another option is Spinner's end. That it refers to the end of the street holding a textile mill. That when the houses were built it was the center of the area and the big thing but now is barely anything and Eileen may have had to get a job there to help support the family. She may get scraps of cloth there for free that she uses to make clothes for Severus and Tobias may feel emasculated because he is out of work and she has to support the family but is not able to bring in the kind of money he would be able to. Plus she doesn't have the types of skills needed being a pureblood witch in the working class muggle world.   
> I'm trying to decide between the two and would really like your opinion. Obviously it will be a few chapters away as poor Eileen is only in her 5th year currently but it helps to think ahead and know where I am going, thanks.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me a comment/review and let me know what you think. Even if you hate it let me know. I just want to do the universe justice and any advice you can give me will be loads helpful.


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